


bloodhounds

by MaddieContrary



Category: Blood and Chocolate (2007), Charlie Countryman (2013), Hannibal Extended Universe - Fandom
Genre: #JustFuckMeUp Fest, #RareMeat, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Breeding Kink, Hurt/Comfort, Knotting, M/M, Nigel is a werewolf, Not Canon Compliant, Rape Aftermath, Rape Recovery, Rape not between Aiden and Nigel, Werewolf Nigel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:54:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 47,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24944929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaddieContrary/pseuds/MaddieContrary
Summary: Aiden ran.He ran as fast as his feet could carry him, trying to regulate his breathing as he sprinted through the forest, to safety.To the river, Aiden urged himself.***What happened if Aiden didn’t make it across the river.
Relationships: Aiden (Blood and Chocolate)/Nigel (Charlie Countryman)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 44
Collections: MonthlyRareMeat





	1. bloodhounds

**Author's Note:**

  * For [InsanelyWriteful](https://archiveofourown.org/users/InsanelyWriteful/gifts).



> Originally inspired by nise_kazura. If you felt like you’ve read the first three chapters before, it's probably because it was originally posted for the JFMU fest. I deleted because of some anti drama at the time, but I’m back on my bullshit, so mind the tags and enjoy!
> 
> A special thank you to Rainy who basically cheered me on for this fic - wouldn't have the drive to re-post this and add in an additional chapter otherwise :) 
> 
> (No beta, we die like Viking women.)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **TW: Rape (for this chapter only)**. If you would like to skip that part, please click the link titled (1) when you get to that particular part in this chapter.

Aiden ran.

He ran as fast as his feet could carry him, trying to regulate his breathing as he sprinted through the forest, to safety.

 _To the river,_ Aiden urged himself.

He was trying not to panic as he stumbled, his feet caught on the tree roots in front of him. Cursing slightly, he picked himself back up and running through the stream he stumbled upon. Catching his breath, he scrubbed the blood off of his hands as he tried to center himself, tried to find the best way out of his current predicament.

 _Should’ve gotten the hell out of dodge. Why the_ fuck _did I come to Bucharest._

He cursed as he heard the tell-tale growls of the werewolves chasing him down approaching him, and he pulled himself up to find the river.

\---

When Aiden first came to, it was with some trepidation as he realized that he was blindfolded, his arms bound tightly behind him. He could feel two people flanking his sides, probably to make sure he wouldn’t run. His ears were ringing. A possible side-effect from being knocked unconscious by the brute werewolves who'd apprehended him at the train station.

Before long, he was jerked out of his stupor when his captors lifted and dragged him, to where Aiden didn’t know, but he could hear the murmurs of a crowd entranced as a man spoke to them.

“—for his murderer is _here_ ,” the man was saying, venom in his voice.

Aiden could hear Vivian shouting her protest, though the man spoke over her, their arguments playing out over his head as he fought to regain his balance, struggling against his bonds. He flinched when he heard the man’s voice approaching him, and he instinctively tried to pull away or make himself smaller somehow. 

“Enough, Vivian! _You_ betrayed our pack, our secrets, to this _human_. You know our law. Now, give him a good luck kiss, for all the trouble you’ve put him through.”

The sounds of fabrics rustling and Aiden blinked rapidly as the blindfold was lifted off his eyes. Vivian flooded his vision, worry and doubt crossing her face before she leaned in close to him. “I’m sorry,” she whispered before she leaned in to kiss him—

Aiden felt his shoulders jerking in protest when his hands were suddenly pulled back, the material bounding his hands sliced through as he was forced to stand up by a man, presumably the Alpha of the Loup-Garoux pack— _Gabriel_ , his mind supplied for him.

Gabriel’s mouth twisted in a smirk as he glanced over Aiden’s form, Aiden shuddering as he took in the sight of the rest of the people – _werewolves_ – surrounding him.

“Well, human,” Gabriel drawled, his smile condescending. “You’ve found yourself in the midst of the wolf’s den, so to speak. Vivian has put it upon herself to argue on your behalf, but she does not answer to the rest of the pack, and I am the Alpha of this pack, so my words are law. This will be your retribution for killing my heir, my _son_. The only way you’ll get out of this is to run, little human, run as fast as you can.

“If you make it to the river at the edge of the forest, I’ll consider your debt delayed. If not… well, there are some wolves here _dying_ for some fresh meat.”

Gabriel loomed over him as he spoke, the disdain in his eyes clear. Aiden scrabbled back to put as much space as he could between himself and the other man as his gaze darted around the crowd, catching Vivian’s apologetic eyes again before he made his decision and sprinted out into the forest.

\---

Aiden could make out the edges of the forest and he could’ve wept in relief when he heard the rush of water ahead of him. Before he could think about what he was about to do, he forced his body to leap into the water, expecting the splash—

A growl, a rush of adrenaline before he could leap to safety, and he felt his feet caught by several werewolves, grabbing at him, pulling him back as his body crashed to the ground, the impact leaving him breathless.

 _Fuck,_ he’d been so close.

Aiden growled, grabbing at the silver knife he’d hidden under his pants, slashing randomly in the air in an effort to dislodge the wolf closest to him. He felt his knife connecting with fur and rough skin, and the wolf next to him whined in pain.

Aiden felt vicious satisfaction at the sound. He tightened his grip as he continued to struggle against the other wolves smothering him, several of them snapping their jaws and tearing through Aiden’s clothes and biting through his skin. Ignoring the pain in his arms, he growled and managed to get a few more thrusts of the knife into the wolves above him before one of them managed to dislodge the knife by biting into Aiden’s hand. Aiden gasped, more with shock than in pain, his body thrashing as the werewolves tried to subdue his movement, the knife kicked aside in a split second.

One of the werewolves bit into his throat, and Aiden screamed in pain as the wolf tightened his bite.

“Well, boy, looks like your luck ran out.”

Aiden tried to turn his head to look at the man speaking, fighting to stay conscious as the pain enveloped his whole body, the werewolves surrounding him holding him down on the ground. He mustered a glare at the man despite his agony.

“It’s truly a waste to see a human trying to fit into our world,” Gabriel—of course it was fucking Gabriel—said, smiling down at Aiden as he walked closer to him. “You put up a brave fight, but in the end you’re only just a scared little boy, playing at being a knight in shining armor. Did you think Vivian needed your help?”

Aiden flinched as Gabriel crouched down and leaned in closer to his face, his body still held down by the wolf pinning him on his neck.

“Sorry, boy, your _comics_ are not reality. It’s time you understand that humans will never be anything more than our plaything.” With a pat to Aiden’s cheeks, Gabriel stood up and carelessly glanced to his surrounding pack. “Well, boys, have at him.”

Aiden could only stare at Gabriel with a sense of disconnect as the other man walked away back into the forest, the werewolves pinning him down slowly shifting into their human forms. Adrenaline was still coursing through his body, and though he knew it might be futile, he struggled against his captors, panic beginning to seep in through the edges of his consciousness.

The wolf pinning his neck sat up with relish as he transformed back into human, licking at Aiden’s blood spattered on his face. Aiden recognized him as one of Rafe’s entourage, the blond-haired man always hovering by Rafe’s side. His brain was still trying to make sense of just what he had gotten himself to as he bared his teeth at the men smiling down at him.

“Hello, Aiden,” Blondie said, “looks like we’re gonna have some fun.” (1)

He didn’t know how he’d gotten himself into this situation. The werewolves who had shifted back to their human forms had immediately held him down when he renewed his struggle, tearing away the remaining of Aiden’s clothes from his body as he was bared to the men around him. Aiden couldn’t think straight, adrenaline still rushing through his vein, telling him to _move, run, as fast as you can_ , except his body couldn’t obey, his thrashing futile.

“Get off—”

A sharp slap to his face, his ears ringing from the pain. His head pulsed with the pain. 

“You don’t need to talk, boy,” one of the men said, as the rest of them lifted him to a sitting position. “Don’t worry, you don’t need to even think of anything. We’ll take good care of you, won’t we?”

The men chuckled and jeered as they repositioned Aiden on his stomach, Aiden scrambling for purchase when his head was pinned down to the ground, both of his hands held captive by either man on his side. “ _Stop_ —”

Another sharp slap, this time to his ass. Aiden gasped and simmered in anger, even as his lower body was further manipulated, his legs spread wide. He was still struggling to make sense of what was going to happen to him because _this_ _can’t be happening—_

“I told you not to talk, boy.” Another slap to his bare ass and Aiden tried not to whimper. “You’ve got a pretty face, but you’re not very smart, are you?”

Aiden failed to contain his cries as his ass was slapped again, his feet held apart wider for the intrusive hands around him. At the feeling of a finger probing at his hole, Aiden once again renewed his struggle against his captors, screaming bloody murder and thrashing about as best as he could while he was held down, only to receive a few more slaps to his ass and his face for his trouble.

“You’ll take what we give you, bitch, and by the end of this you’ll be begging for our knots.” Another round of laughter as the man probing his hole continued to press inside Aiden.

_Knot? What the fuck are they talking about?_

Aiden could only scream as he felt the invasion inside his body, the burn of it excruciating. They didn't bother to ease the intrusion into him, and the dry friction made him grit his teeth. He’d never been touched in this way, happy enough to live his life with his newfound freedom without any sort of human connection apart from Vivian after he escaped his abusive father. And now _this_.

 _Well, this isn’t exactly a human connection is it?_ his brain shouted, sounding hysterical.

The man fingering him spat cursorily onto his hand before shoving two fingers inside Aiden in a forceful motion, scissoring his hole open without warning. Aiden gritted his teeth, trying not to make any sound as his body was violated, though he could feel tears pricking at the corner of his eyes. He wouldn’t give the satisfaction of crying for these brutes, he _wouldn’t_. The burn as the man entered him even deeper wasn’t something he could ignore, however, and Aiden realized that the tears had fallen on his cheeks even as he tried to remain silent.

Another laugh from the man holding his hand down. “Don’t cry, pretty boy, we’ll make sure it’s good for you too.”

The fingers inside him twisted at the words, eliciting a gasp from Aiden as the man pressed hard at a spot inside him. A spark through the agony. 

“See?” More laughter and jeers. “You’ll thank us for this, in the end.”

 _No way in fucking hell,_ Aiden thought. But it didn’t matter, as the man behind him pressed more insistently at the spot inside him, chuckling when he saw Aiden biting back his scream, his lips bloody from his efforts. “That’s enough foreplay, boy, I hope you’re ready for the real thing.”

Aiden could only glare at the men holding him down. He tried to slow down his harsh breathing as the fingers were taken out of his ass, only to feel the undeniable nudge of the man’s cock pressing at his hole.

“Fuck, stop, stop, _please_!” Gasping, Aiden screwed his eyes shut in denial as he felt the man’s cock entering him, inch by inch. “Please!”

“Begging already,” the man behind him laughed. He pushed forward, ignoring Aiden’s pleas, forcing his cock deep into Aiden’s struggling body. “That’s it, fuck, that’s good, you’re so fucking tight.”

Aiden gasped out in pain as the man started to thrust forcefully inside him, his hands gripping onto Aiden’s ass as he fucked into him with growls of pleasure.

“Fuck, is this the first time you’re taking cock?” Another slap to his ass and the man continued to fuck into him. “ _Fuck_ , you’re tight, am I fucking a fucking virgin?” The man laughed again. “How does it feel to take cock for the first time?”

Aiden couldn’t keep himself from groaning, the pain enveloping his whole body as he was roughly fucked on the man’s cock, his fingers scrambling to hold on to _anything_ to anchor himself. There were too many hands on him, holding him down as he was fucked, and it was all he could do to keep his noises to himself. He didn’t know how long the man continued to fuck into him, couldn’t muster any thought beyond the pain he was experiencing when he felt the cock inside him growing impossibly bigger, gasping in surprise as he tried to pull away from the cock he was fucked on. “No, no—”

More laughter. Aiden was beginning to despise the sound.

“That’s it, you’re gonna take your first knot, pretty boy,” the man at his head said mockingly, chuckling as Aiden tried to twist out of their grips. “Don’t worry, it’ll be easier for a human to take our knots with enough practice.”

Aiden felt the cock grow bigger still, and he could hear himself whimpering in pain until the man behind him pulled back all the way out before slamming back in harshly, forcing a cry out of him as he felt the man’s knot pressed inside him, tearing him open. “No,” he sobbed, his vision obscured by the unbearable agony coursing through him.

“Don’t worry, baby, we’re gonna have lots of practice, won’t we?”

Aiden lost all sense of time.

He gasped as his body was pulled back onto the man thrusting behind him, the sound of the men’s laughter and grunts loud in his ears as they continued to use his body. 

After the knot of the first man who had raped him had deflated and pulled out of him, Aiden had sobbed at the sensation of being _bred_ , because that was the only word for it. There was come pooling out of his ass, some of it smeared on his thighs, and it made him feel more humiliated to think of himself so debased by the act. Aiden didn’t think the myth of Loup-Garoux had been real, but he’d studied enough of its lore for his work to know what had happened to him and that it had been undeniably real.

Another cock had pushed into him carelessly while Aiden was still trying to catch his breath, his pained whimper only eliciting more indulgent chuckles from the men raping him.

“Oh, you’re perfect,” the man behind him sighed, as his cock entered Aiden’s ass, the way slicked with the previous man’s come.

“No rest for the wicked,” another man said, grinning and gripping Aiden’s hair tight as he forced Aiden’s body up, settling Aiden on his hands and knees with his ass plugged up with cock inside him. Aiden recognized him as one of the men who had apprehended him at the train station, from when he was trying to escape out of Bucharest. “Let’s put that pretty mouth of yours to good use, yeah?”

Aiden managed to glare at him before his mouth was pried open by the man’s fingers, almost choking him as he forced his fingers inside Aiden’s mouth. “Nice and wide, boy. You won’t like what we’ll do to you if you use those teeth of yours,” the man said, smirking, his eyes shining with mirth before he replaced his fingers in Aiden’s mouth with his cock.

Aiden immediately choked, trying to breathe around the intrusion in his mouth, his breathing heavy as he tried to struggle away from the cock thrusting into his ass and the one fucking his mouth. The man behind him increased his thrusts just as the man in front of him started to move, Aiden groaning around the sensations of being filled at both ends.

Aiden had just managed to control his breathing even as he was fucked on both ends, the two men chasing their own pleasures inside him when his body jerked reflexively as the man behind him thrust against a spot inside him. He couldn’t hold back his whimper as the man continued to thrust into that particular spot again and again, the men now laughing at his pleasured moans.

“That’s it, you little bitch, knew you’d love it.”

He had never felt something like this, further humiliated when he felt pleasure at being fucked by strangers who took sadistic pleasure in using his body, his toes curling as the man behind him continued to thrust against his prostate.

“Aww, look at that, he’s getting hard from being fucked on two cocks. Kinky bitch.”

Aiden only heard the men’s jeers and laughter amidst the haze of pain and pleasure he found himself in, his ass and mouth continually used by the two men fucking hard into him. He could barely understand what the men were saying when he realized that he was hard, his cock dribbling pre-come onto the ground as his body jerked in place from the two men thrusting into him.

This time, when he felt the knot of the man behind him forming inside his ass, Aiden moaned around the cock in his mouth as the knot pressed insistently against his prostate, the man behind him thrusting wildly before he forced his knot into Aiden with a satisfied groan, filling Aiden up with his come.

The man in front of him increased his thrust at the sounds of Aiden’s moans, pulling out before releasing his come into Aiden’s lax mouth, Aiden flinching at the feeling of come on his face and dripping out of his ass. He was still coughing and gasping for oxygen, unable to turn away from the man who was condescendingly patting his cheek, calling him “a good boy” for taking his come so well.

When the knot inside him deflated, Aiden cried out as he felt his body being turned to lay down flat on his back. He couldn’t feel his legs or arms anymore. He didn’t know how long he’d been held down and fucked (it couldn’t have been that long, but it felt like forever), and he was almost grateful for the change in position before another man placed himself between Aiden’s legs and aligned his cock with Aiden’s sodden entrance before thrusting in with no warning.

He wasn’t given the time to adjust to yet another cock filling him before he felt a tug at his hair, his face turned towards the man handling him before he was forced to take another cock inside his mouth. “ _Mmmphh_ —”

“ _Fuck_ , you do feel fucking good,” the man in his mouth said, cradling Aiden’s head in his hands as he increased his thrusts.

“Perfect little bitch, isn’t he?” the man fucking his ass said, laughing as he pinned Aiden down by the waist and on his cock. Aiden couldn’t help the keen coming out of his stuffed mouth as he was fucked again and again, his body feeling an overload of sensory, of pleasure when the man hit his prostate. He could feel his hard cock slapping against his stomach as his legs were lifted up and spread wide, the man inside him thrusting harshly, Aiden’s body lighting up in pleasure again at the changed angle, his moans growing increasingly louder as he was fucked mercilessly.

“Yeah, I think it’ll be a waste to let him go after this.”

More laughter, several of the men coming closer to watch the show as Aiden’s moans grew more and more vocal. Aiden couldn’t control his reactions as his body was thoroughly explored by the men around him; hands pinching his nipples, caressing his cock, all while the other two men were still fucking into his mouth and ass. The knot in his ass was beginning to form and Aiden screamed helplessly, and he was losing the will to struggle now.

“I think we’ll keep you, pretty boy. You can be our little bitch for when our rut hits,” the man grunted, thrusting deep inside of Aiden’s ass, cock brushing his prostate at every other thrust, making Aiden moan with the sensation of being filled and filled again with no end in sight.

“You’d like that, won’t you?”

The slap of skin against skin, grunts of pleasures from the men fucking him, teasing him with touches, Aiden’s moans around the cock in his mouth involuntarily dragged out of him with every thrust.

“You’ll be a kept bitch, a hole for us to use whenever we’d like to.”

A few more thrusts and the knot inflated inside him again, his muffled screams ignored as he came untouched, his body sore and tired from all the knots he’d taken. Aiden groaned weakly as he felt himself being filled to the brim before his vision darkened and all thoughts were lost.

He woke up slowly to the jarring sensation of being filled again. His mouth and ass felt sore, his body limp and listless as his body jerked, his vision clearing enough for him to determine that he was still in the hell he'd found himself caught in.

Aiden’s torso was leaning back on one of the men seated behind him, his wrists held still and kept to his side by the man’s hands. He realized that his feet were being held spread apart by two men sitting next to him and that he was still being fucked by yet another man from the werewolf pack.

“Welcome back, baby,” the man thrusting into him said, grinning as he adjusted his angle to thrust deeper.

Aiden didn’t know how many of them had taken turns to fuck him when he fainted, nor did he know how many were still waiting around to fuck him again. He felt disconnected from his body, his cheeks wet with tears as he was impaled on the cock inside him, his throat hoarse from screaming. He could feel the semen of the men who had fucked and knotted him inside him, his belly slightly distended with all the come he’d been forced to take.

“You’re so good, you were still so fucking tight even when you’ve taken so many cocks inside you,” the man behind him muttered, right in Aiden’s ear.

“Yes, fuck yes, your body’s just _begging_ for us to knot you,” the other man grunted, taking Aiden’s cock in his hand, beginning to stroke it in time with his thrusts. Aiden moaned, trying to shake his head in denial even though he knew the men would just ignore him and fuck him anyway.

“Please, enough, please…” Aiden gasped, moaning as he felt his body betraying him again, his cock hardening as the man continued to stroke him.

“Baby, we’re training you remember?”

“Yes, when a wolf gets into rut, you want to be able to take their knots as many times as you need to, don’t you?”

“No, please, please stop,” Aiden sobbed. The man behind him held him close, Aiden helplessly squirming in place as he felt pleasure building up again inside of him; pleasure at being filled, being fucked, pleasure as his cock was stroked to the point of pain.

“Ssshh, no more of your talking,” the man behind him said, forcing two of his fingers inside Aiden’s mouth, effectively shutting him up as he moaned around the intrusion. He could feel drool gathering at the corner of his mouth, his screams muffled by the fingers as the man thrusting inside him increased his pace, rutting to chase his release, Aiden’s cock left untouched now.

The pleasure building inside him crested when the man’s knot began to swell and drag against his prostate, battering him from the inside with every thrust until Aiden screamed and came untouched, the man’s knot inflating as he came inside Aiden, filling him up until he feels like he was bursting full with the men’s seed.

Aiden didn’t realize he had fallen into a sort of haze after he came, only realizing that something was wrong—something even more wrong than what was happening to him—when he came to and heard several voices shouting above him.

“—I said get the fuck away from the boy!” A new voice. Another stranger _._

“Hey, mongrel, don’t fucking interfere, this boy killed one of our own and we’re just claiming his debt,” the man behind Aiden growled to the stranger; Aiden was only aware there was a new arrival when he turned his head listlessly to the direction of the new voice.

His head felt groggy as he looked at the newcomer pointing his shotgun at the man who had been fucking into him. His gaze cleared enough for him to see that the stranger was well-built, his sandy blond hair fanning wildly across his face as he frowned at Aiden, taking the situation in.

“I think the debt’s fucking repaid now, don’t you think?” the man growled at the rest of the werewolves, snarling to show his canine teeth, his eyes flashing golden.

_Another werewolf._

Aiden couldn’t help the whine escaping him as he renewed his struggle to get away from the newcomer, from the men holding him, from all the fucking werewolves keeping him captive in this forest – he wanted to run far, far away from Bucharest, from America, from this fucking world if he could.

The two men who were holding him down were caught in surprise when he began to struggle, and both of them tried to subdue Aiden again—

 _BANG_.

“Motherfucker!” The man who had knotted him had let go of Aiden’s legs as his knot quickly deflated, leaving a trail of come dribbling out of Aiden. He screamed as smoke began to sizzle around the gunshot in his torso, his body crumpling on the forest floor with piteous moans of pain.

Aiden flinched and looked away from the twitching body, realizing that the newcomer must’ve used silver bullets with his shotgun, the damage clearly effective.

The man who had held Aiden’s torso had immediately raised his hands in surrender when his friend was shot, and he held himself still while the newcomer approached them silently. The rest of the werewolves stood back in a loose circle as the newcomer paced ever closer to them, their bodies wary and alert to the emerging danger.

“Are you okay?” the newcomer asked.

It took Aiden a few seconds to realize that the man was talking to him. He was still leaning against the werewolf behind him, his body too tired to hold himself up. He tried to sit up and gasped in pain as he felt all the muscles in his body protesting his movements.

“Kid, are you okay?”

Aiden coughed and vomited a few times to the side before nodding weakly. "Okay" was a foreign concept now. He didn’t know how the fuck he was supposed to answer that question, but he nodded anyway, trying to regulate his breathing.

“I want all of you to step away from the boy,” the newcomer said, his voice low and threatening as he aimed his shotgun at all of the other werewolves in turn. Some of the werewolves have shifted back into their wolf form, their furs bristling in challenge at the newcomer before the newcomer aimed the gun at them and they scrambled to run into the forest, far away from the threat of silver bullets and imminent death.

There was only the dead werewolf, the newcomer and the man who had held Aiden down left now.

The man behind him had stood up with his hands raised now, stepping away slowly from Aiden and the newcomer. “Fine,” he said spitefully. “We’ll consider his debt fucking paid, _mongrel_. I’ll let Gabriel know you’ve come trespassing into his territory again.”

The newcomer raised an eyebrow, smirking. “Tell Gabriel I’ll fucking go wherever I want to because I don’t come at the beck and call of a fucking runt like him.” He smirked before raising his shotgun to the other man.

“No, wait—”

Another shot rang out through the forest as the stranger shot Aiden’s assailant down. The man fell down with a hiss of pain, letting out a string of curses, still growling at the newcomer before his whines died down into silence.

The newcomer stepped closer, smiling down at the dead werewolf. “Actually, I think I’ll fucking tell him myself. Rest in pieces, you piece of shit.”

Aiden’s whimpers of pain finally drew the newcomer’s attention back to him as he stepped closer to Aiden, putting his shotgun down next to him and raising his hands in a placating gesture. “Hey, hold on, I’m here to help you, okay?” he murmured, dropping to his knees in front of Aiden, who was beginning to heave and cough despite his best efforts to keep silent.

“Please, please don’t hurt me,” Aiden sobbed, the dam breaking as he broke down and cried, cursing the world which has given him no reprieve – from his abusive household, from the cops chasing him out of America, from these fucking werewolves who won’t leave him alone.

The other man seemed stunned at the outburst, unsure of himself before he came closer to Aiden and enveloped him in a firm hug. Aiden’s face turned into the man’s chest, wetting his jacket as Aiden sobbed, in pain and in rage. Aiden barely noticed the man rubbing his back in a comforting pattern, his sobs and hiccups of pain finally subsiding after what felt like hours. Yet the other man had stayed and comforted him through it.

“Fuck,” the man whispered. Aiden wasn’t sure if he was supposed to hear it, but it was somewhat comforting to know that the man seemed genuinely concerned for him.

“Okay, fuck, obviously we didn’t meet under the best circumstances”—a weak snort of laughter from Aiden despite everything—“but I’m Nigel. As you’ve probably noticed, I’m a werewolf too, but I'm not of _them._ And if we stay here for too long, we might invite more unwanted company, and I don’t think I can fight off a whole pack of them if they come back with backup.”

Nigel pulled apart from Aiden a little, looking into his face as he tried to catch his eyes. “Could you… fuck, I don’t know, would you let me help you out of here?”

Aiden hiccupped in Nigel’s face.

He could see Nigel’s lips curled in a little smile, almost unintentionally, before he frowned again at Aiden. “Can you walk?”

“I don’t know,” he croaked out truthfully, his throat sore from the abuse. “But I’ll try.”

Nigel smiled, nodding approvingly as he helped Aiden to stand up. Aiden cursed under his breath as his body let him know just what kind of pain he would be in for the next few days, his legs wobbly under him. He almost felt like sobbing again but forced himself to hold still as he leaned against Nigel for support.

“Where should I take you?” Nigel asked, peering at him in concern. He took off in jacket almost as an afterthought, offering it to Aiden to cover himself with. Aiden took it in grateful silence and wrapped the jacket around him, the material large enough to be able to cover him.

“Anywhere,” Aiden said, forcing his legs to support himself as he followed Nigel’s lead. “Please, take me anywhere but here.”

Nigel’s frown softened. “Okay. Hold on tight. I’m going to shift, and I can carry you on my back to get the fuck out of here faster, okay?”

Aiden nodded his acquiescence, shivering as he observed Nigel shifting into his wolf form, the whole transformation almost disconcerting. When Nigel turned to look back at Aiden, it was with golden eyes, and Nigel patted his head against Aiden’s arms in a silent gesture.

“Wait,” Aiden muttered, looking around the clearing and gaze locking on the silver knife that had been torn away from his hand. He shuffled his feet slowly until he could reach for it with a hiss of pain, and he tucked it close to himself. He turned back to Nigel, and he could swear Nigel was smiling at him, his eyes saying “ _Attaboy_ ” at his action.

Aiden couldn’t help his little smile as he grasped onto Nigel’s almost white fur, trembling as he struggled to hoist himself up on Nigel’s back. He managed, after several pained breaths and curses; if there was one thing Aiden knew about himself, it was that he was fucking tenacious. He was going to fucking live through this, and he was going to do it to spite every single person who tried to bring him down.

He settled himself on Nigel’s back, gripping his fur perhaps tighter than necessary, but it was enough to ground him back into the now.

“Okay, let’s go.”

And off they went into the night.


	2. in your warm embrace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aiden was rescued by Nigel from being eaten alive by Gabriel’s werewolf pack, and now they’re both left with each other to deal with the repercussions.

Aiden woke up screaming.

Someone was trying to placate him, to stop his thrashing from his nightmares, from trying to hurt himself from the pain that was clawing out of his chest while he was trying to escape the memories of that night.

He slowly regained consciousness, his eyes blinking rapidly as he tried to clear his vision and make sense of his surroundings.

“Sshh, Aiden, it’s me, you’re okay, you’re here with me.”

The soft words spoken in his ears, one hand gripping his body firmly to the other man’s, the other hand slowly rubbing his back in a circling, calming motion helped to center him back into the present.

Aiden blinked again, drawing his gaze up to the man hugging him close. “Nigel,” he whispered, his body still trembling in shock.

“It’s alright, kid, you’re here with me, there’s no one else here.” Nigel’s voice was gruff, heavy with sleep; Aiden had probably woken him up when he started screaming.

Aiden could feel his tremors slowly starting to subside as he took several deep breaths. He breathed in the scent of the man, the werewolf, placating him from his nightmares. “Nigel…”

“That’s right, you’re okay now, you can go back to sleep kid, I’ll be here.”

He closed his eyes again, trying to calm his rabbiting heart as Nigel continued to soothe him, speaking in hushed tones until he could feel himself slipping back into a restless sleep.

___

“Kid, wake up.”

Aiden felt a nudge, and he tried to pry his eyes open, to see who was talking to him. He was laying down somewhere soft, somewhere that wasn’t the forest floor where he was rescued from—

— _his body pounding from the thrusts, his screams dying as the night went on, the men laughing as he was violated again and again_ —

Aiden’s body involuntarily jerked to the side as he heaved and vomited onto the floor.

A sigh. “Well, at least you somehow aimed for the bucket.”

Aiden blinked furiously, turning his head to the man speaking to him, and he finally realized that it was Nigel, the other werewolf who had taken him out of the werewolves’ den in the forest.

“Where—” he croaked out, his voice cracking before he coughed and had to drink from the cup Nigel thrust to him. He winced at the disgusting feel of vomit in his throat but managed to keep himself from throwing up again.

“Take it easy,” Nigel said, leaning back to sit on the bed next to Aiden.

Aiden took slow sips from the cup as he tried to ascertain where he was. It tasted disgusting, with the aftertaste of the vomit lingering on his tongue. He was currently lying on a bed, naked and tucked in underneath a warm comforter, and from a glance, he would make out details of the room they were in, the windows showing a glimpse of the night-time surroundings, wherever they were right now.

“Where am I?” he rasped, trying to clear his throat. Speaking still hurts, his throat hoarse from screaming. He could feel tears pooling in his eyes again, and he viciously blinked them away before he could show more weakness to the man before him.

Of course, it didn’t matter. Nigel noticed anyway, looking at Aiden with something like caution and pity. Aiden didn’t need his pity right now; he’d rather have answers. From the way his body still ached, it had probably been only a few hours since he had been rescued from Gabriel’s pack. His head was throbbing.

“You’re in my house,” Nigel said softly, and Aiden couldn’t help bristling at the answer. “Sorry. I didn’t know where else I could take you. Even if I’d known where your house is, you can bet that Gabriel had his runts go and ransack the place once they found out you escaped.”

Aiden couldn’t reply to that. It was true, but it didn’t make it easier to accept. “What now?” he asked, his gaze going to the ceiling above him to stop his tears from spilling again.

A rustle as Nigel got up from the bed and took the bucket, presumably to clean out Aiden’s vomit, and his cheeks reddened at the reminder.

“I’ve called a friend and a doctor for a favor, they’ll be here in a few minutes if you don’t mind,” Nigel replied, his voice slightly raised as he walked towards the bathroom and. Aiden could hear him cleaning out the bucket under a rush of water. “I need you awake for a bit before I can let you go back to sleep.”

Nigel came out again, placing the bucket at the edge of the bed, gesturing to it. “If you feel like getting sick, the bucket’s here. You can’t help your reactions, so don’t hold yourself back, kid. You’ve had a rough night.”

The tears that were threatening to spill over finally broke out, Aiden putting his arm across his face as he struggled to take a few deep breaths. “No shit,” he muttered, keeping his eyes closed when Nigel settled himself nearby again. “Why are you doing this? Why are you helping me?”

A beat of silence.

“I couldn’t fucking leave you there,” Nigel said, sounding angry at the accusation in Aiden’s voice. A slight exhale as Nigel continued, “I’m not attached to any of the packs around Bucharest, okay? I don’t like the fucking ‘rules’ they have like we’re some kind of animals that need some training, as if we need to be kept in line. Gabriel always likes to talk about how humans are beneath us, but he’s fucking practicing what humans have been doing since centuries ago, getting themselves into petty pack wars. They’re all fucking idiots, showing off their knots like they’re in a fucking contest.

“You were caught in the crossfire. You didn’t deserve anything that happened to you. It wasn’t any of your fault. That’s why I saved you. You didn’t deserve what was fucking happening to you.”

Aiden’s tears turned into a full-blown sob, the dam broken as he took in Nigel’s words, realizing what had happened to him had been real, the escape through the woods, the werewolves catching up with him and surrounding him before they had raped him—

“ _Fuck_ , I’m sorry.” Nigel rushed to cradle Aiden in his arms as Aiden sobbed shamelessly, his emotions raw from the realization that this world was never going to stop being cruel to him. “I’m so fucking bad at this,” Nigel cursed under his breath as he ran his hand through Aiden’s curls, Aiden sobbing into his chest. “Fuck it, just cry it all out, kid. Get it out of your system before Darko and the doctor come here.”

Aiden’s sobs rang out through the bedroom as Nigel rocked them together, trying to soothe the boy beneath him as his body trembled and jerked from the heaving sobs. “That’s it,” Nigel soothed, as the tremors lessened in intensity, as Aiden struggled to stop his tears from flowing again.

He didn’t know how long Nigel kept rocking him in place, but he realized that they weren’t alone before long. He stiffened as he felt their presence.

“Darko,” Nigel exhaled, relief evident in his voice when he saw the two men hovering at the doorway. “Dr. Andrei.”

Aiden’s eyes skated over the newcomers and he willed his tears to stop, his body still trembling slightly as Nigel pulled them apart. He took in a few gulping breaths, realizing that he missed the warmth of Nigel’s body.

The man Nigel had addressed – Darko – was tall and lightly tanned, his build undeniably muscular and sharply dressed compared to Nigel. He was scowling at Nigel, and turned to gesture to the other man standing next to him, who Aiden assumed was the doctor.

“Doc’s here, but we gotta be quick, he has another errand to run in a few hours,” Darko was saying, nodding to the man beside him, an elderly gentleman dressed in a crisp suit and carrying a briefcase.

“Fine, come on, let’s get it over with,” Nigel grumbled. He turned to Aiden, holding Aiden by the shoulders as he caught his eyes. “Andrei’s gonna examine you and treat whatever needs to be treated. Darko and I will be staying outside. You tell him whatever he needs to hear and whatever you need for your pain, kid.”

“Aiden,” he whispered.

“What?”

“My name’s Aiden. It’s not kid.”

Nigel huffed, his eyes crinkling with mirth before he turned serious again. “Okay, Aiden. I’m gonna let the doctor take over, and we’ll be waiting just outside.”

Aiden nodded his understanding, his gaze lowering to his hands. He bit his lips in humiliation as he realized what the doctor would need to examine. Well, at least he was still naked. It would spare him further humiliation if he had to undress himself in his state.

Nigel got up from the bed and began to speak to Darko, taking both of them out of the room as they spoke in hushed whispers.

With a shaky exhale, Aiden looked to the doctor to show that he was ready for his examination. The older man smiled gently, opening his briefcase on the bed next to Aiden as he began to speak through what he will be doing to determine the extent of Aiden’s injuries. Dr. Andrei’s calm tone and professional demeanor was enough to calm him down, and Andrei let out another shuddering exhale when the doctor began his examination.

The examination didn’t take too long, Aiden shutting his eyes tight as the doctor examined his body. The doctor made a disgruntled noise when he saw bruises blooming at Aiden’s hips and hands, where the men had gripped at him while they were fucking him. He stared determinedly at the ceiling again as the doctor finished his examination and dressing his wounds in bandages, the comforter pulled over his naked body once more as the doctor called Nigel and Darko back into the room.

“They did some damage,” Dr. Andrei said in a low tone, his voice dispassionate but devoid of pity, which Aiden appreciated. “I’m prescribing some painkillers, and a few antibiotics to prevent any infection, and something for a fever, just in case. A few ointments, too, something for you to rub on the wounds. most of them will heal in several days, but the one on your neck will take some time to heal. No stitches needed, thankfully.”

All this was said as the doctor showed the drugs he was prescribing to Aiden. “Take all of this as prescribed, and I’d recommend eating soft food for the first few days to avoid further damage to your throat.”

The doctor turned to Nigel then as he began to repack his things into the briefcase. “You gonna take care of him?”

Nigel snorted. “Yeah.”

“Just keep an eye on him. If he has a fever, cool him down with a soak in the water. You’re in charge of his menu, and make sure he takes all his medicines.”

Nigel rolled his eyes at the fatherly tone, but he nodded anyway.

Dr. Andrei paused before saying “I’ll give you something to help you sleep, too.”

With that, the doctor clasped his briefcase closed and stood up, groaning as his joints creaked. “I’m too old for this,” he grumbled as he stretched his back and sighed. He turned towards Aiden and smiled kindly. “You’re a strong kid, but you’re only as strong as your body. Make sure you heal up properly and take care of yourself.”

Aiden nodded slowly, only half-listening to the conversation going on from where he was propped up on the bed.

Darko had been jittery while the doctor had given his little speech, and as soon as Dr. Andrei made a move to depart, Darko followed him downstairs to let him out of the apartment before he made his way into the room again.

Nigel had sat back down onto the bed when Darko re-entered, shaking his head and sighing. “Are you taking in strays now?” His words were derisive, but his tone only sounded weary as he glanced from Nigel to Aiden.

Aiden stared right back at him. _I’m not exactly happy about this either_ , putting the sentiments into his glare at the other man.

Darko took the hint, grinning slightly as he turned back to Nigel.

“Well,” Nigel shrugged, “as a stray myself, why the fuck not.”

Darko snorted, shaking his head. “Whatever. Look, I’m gonna take care of those transactions by this week while you’re busy playing house, but I need your backup on this for whenever the Americans come here to look at the shipment. Sounds good?”

Nigel nodded, studiously avoiding Aiden’s questioning gaze directed at him. “Sounds good,” he confirmed. “Call me when you know they’re coming.”

Darko nodded, seemingly satisfied with Nigel’s assurance. “And about Gabriel’s pack—”

Aiden had flinched at the mention of Gabriel’s name, and Nigel growled sharply at Darko before Darko snapped his mouth closed, nostrils flaring. “About that _asshole’s_ pack,” he continued, glaring at Nigel, “I got people tracking them so you’re _fucking_ welcome. I put Dom and Luca on it, so they’ll be tailing those goons around for a few days to make sure they’ve lost your scent. But don’t pretend like they’re just gonna forget about what you did, Nigel, you’re not that fucking stupid.”

Nigel frowned, nodding stiffly. He was barely acknowledging Aiden other than to reprimand Darko from speaking Gabriel’s name in front of him. “I’ll take care of it.”

“Oh, really? Like you fucking took care of Gabi and Charlie? Because as far as I know, they fucking booked it out of—”

“I said I’ll fucking take care of it, Darko,” Nigel growled, standing up in anger, his eyes flashing golden as he took a menacing step closer to Darko.

Darko returned the glare, though he relented after a few minutes, the fight seemingly gone out of him. From the way things looked, Aiden thought that Nigel’s used to having his way out of the two of them, and from Darko’s frown Aiden was sure that that was not necessarily a good thing.

“Fine,” Darko sighed, shaking his head as he turned to look at Aiden. “Stay out of trouble, kid.”

With that, Darko turned away from Nigel while flipping him off, slamming the bedroom door behind him as he made his way out of the house.

Aiden kept his silence as he looked at Nigel, _truly_ looked at him.

The older man was still angry, ire raised from the mention of Gabi and Charlie, whoever they were, and it seemed like he was trying to control his temper and not scare Aiden away. While Aiden appreciated the sentiment, he also didn’t need the coddling, sighing as he croaked out Nigel’s name. “Can I sleep now?” he whispered.

Nigel’s eyes were calm as he looked at Aiden, nodding after a few seconds. “Yeah,” he said gruffly. “Just take your medicine first. I’ll have breakfast for you tomorrow before we redress your wounds. I’ll be sleeping on the sofa in the living room if you need me.”

Aiden nodded, his hands trembling as he took the pills prescribed for him and swallowed them dry before lying down again, feeling more tired than he had ever been in his life as he settled back into the warmth of the bed. He was too tired to even feel bad about making Nigel sleep on the sofa. His last thoughts before he fell asleep was that he somehow missed Nigel’s warmth, the other man’s body warmer than the comforter enveloping him in a safe cocoon.

When Aiden next woke, he still felt sluggish as he dragged himself to sit up against the headboard, his body trying to fight off the sedatives in his system. The sun was filtering through the wide windows across the bed, and he could make out a view of several rooftops from where he lay.

He didn’t know what time it was or how long he’d been asleep, but the ache in his body had dulled compared to the previous night, which he took as a good sign. He lifted the comforter off, slowly moving his legs to stretch it down onto the floor as he gingerly tried to step on to them. He sighed in relief when he found that he could still move around somewhat, his mobility only slightly impeded by the pain he felt every time he made any sudden movements. He could do this.

His gaze wander around the room, glancing at a couch haphazardly stuffed near the window, the wardrobe, the bathroom, clothes strewn around the sofa and surfaces inside the bedroom. It felt more or less like his own room, but he couldn’t figure out Nigel’s personality from this alone (except that Nigel probably hated folding his clothes, laying them down on any surface he could find instead, and somehow managing to locate them despite the mess).

Aiden had begun to wonder if Nigel’s awake when he heard the sounds of feet shuffling across the corridor, Nigel poking his head into the room and smiling slightly when he saw that Aiden was up. Nigel immediately poked his head out again, coughing as he softly knocked.

Puzzled, Aiden scoffed and said, “It’s your room, Nigel. Come in.”

Another “polite” cough. “Er, yeah, I don’t mind but you might wanna put on some clothes?”

Aiden looked back down at himself, sitting up on the bed with his feet on the floor, the comforter thrown aside to show that he was still very naked. Oh. It was Aiden’s turn to cough as he bunched the comforter closer to himself to cover his lower half at least. He could feel his cheeks reddened in embarrassment. “I’m… uh, I’m decent.”

Nigel came in there, his grin wider, a meal tray in his hands as he made his way to the bed. “Not that I mind, I always appreciate a fine specimen,” he said jokingly, though the joke fell flat. “But thought you’d prefer having the choice.”

Aiden’s eyes darkened at the implication of that statement, remembering the men, the werewolves, who didn’t seem to care when he shouted for them to stop just last night. Nigel seemed to have picked up Aiden’s change in mood as he muttered a soft curse under his breath.

“Sorry,” Nigel apologized, putting the meal tray in front of Aiden on the bed. “I’m bad at this. Obviously. I never know half the things coming out of my mouth sometimes.”

Aiden smiled despite himself. He looked at the meal propped up in front of him, the fragrance from the porridge welcoming as his stomach gurgled in hunger. The porridge was lightly spiced and accompanied by a glass of water. He realized he hadn’t had a meal since yesterday evening.

“Thanks,” he said softly, picking up the spoon as he began to eat.

Nigel smiled, making his way to sit at the couch by the window. “Welcome.” He seemed pleased to see Aiden eating the simple meal he was provided with.

Aiden’s mind had been going through the events of last night, still trying to make sense of what had happened before he was apprehended by the werewolves at the train station. He cleared his throat slightly before saying, “So you’re a werewolf.”

Nigel was still looking at him, but his stare did not feel intrusive. “Yes. I don’t know what you thought I shifted into last night, but yes, I’m a werewolf.”

Aiden sighed. “How did you… find me?” Talking about this felt difficult, but Aiden wanted to get it over with as soon as he could, wanted to rip off the band-aid now rather than later.

Nigel frowned, obviously figuring out how to bring up things without triggering Aiden into another sobbing fit. “I was… hunting,” he said cautiously, gazing at Aiden intently to see his reactions. “I told you I don’t belong to any pack. I didn’t want a pack hounding me for every decision I make, to follow a set of rules that doesn’t make any fucking sense. So I left my old pack, and I never looked back.”

Nigel shifted slightly in his seat, leaning back and looking earnestly at Aiden. “I was on the other side of the river when I heard you screaming.”

Aiden blinked, trying not to think too much of the reminder of what caused his screams, his nightmares. He’d almost lost consciousness when he noticed Nigel at the time, his brain working in overdrive trying to erase the knowledge of what was happening to him in that forest where nobody else could hear him scream. Except for Nigel, apparently.

“Thank you,” Aiden whispered, looking down at the bowl of porridge in front of him. He wiped away at the stray tears which had appeared at the corner of his eyes, took a deep breath, and picked up the spoon again as he resumed eating. “This is delicious.”

Nigel laughed. “Don’t pretend that shit’s any good, gorgeous. I know what it really tastes like.”

Aiden grinned up at Nigel, trying not to blush at the meaningless compliment. “I mean it. It tastes pretty good for an old man cooking.”

Nigel scoffed, a smile hidden in his annoyance. “I’ll have you know I’m in my early 40s.”

Aiden raised an eyebrow at that. “Is that in dog years? Or human years?”

Nigel barked another laugh. “Okay, you’ve got a smart mouth, I’ll give you that. I don’t know, kid, take a guess and run with it.”

Aiden bit back a smile. “Whichever it is, you’re still older than me by at least 20 years. So. Old man porridge.” He smiled up at Nigel as he scooped up the last of the porridge into his mouth, chewing, content to just be in the moment for now, safe with Nigel.

 _Yes_ , his treacherous mind supplied, _but for how long_?

Nigel had flitted in and out of the room a few times throughout the day, with a brisk reminder that Aiden should take his medicine and rest as much as he could to speed up the healing process. Aiden had rolled his eyes at the thought of this man mother-henning him, but he complied with all of Nigel’s instructions and ate whatever he was given.

Aiden’s world had somehow narrowed down into the single bedroom he was currently stuck in. Well, "stuck in" was a bit ungenerous, it’s not like Nigel had asked to be saddled with Aiden as it was. But they both had to make do for now while Aiden waited for his body to heal.

On the second day, bored out of his mind, Aiden got up from the bed and slowly walked around the room as much as he could, just to have something to do to. He felt restless, confined to this room for who knew how long with nothing but his dark thoughts, his memories still haunting him at different times throughout the day. Hence the pacing.

When Nigel found him pacing the room feverishly moments later, he set down the lunch tray on the bed before he turned to Aiden.

“Bored?”

“Unbelievably so,” Aiden muttered. He’s trying not to sound ungrateful, but it’s hard to chase out his dark thoughts when he didn't have anything to do other than rest all day.

Nigel just stared at him, seemingly assessing Aiden’s body for any apparent damage, before he picked up the tray again and brought it with him as he made his way out of the bedroom. He poked his head in when Aiden didn’t immediately follow. “Coming?”

Aiden blinked, then slowly made his way out of the bedroom, the illusion of confinement slowly shattering as he found himself led through the corridor to the living room and the kitchen, bathed in the afternoon light. The space felt oddly cozy, though a bit sparse. Nigel had obviously not bothered to decorate the place to consider the aesthetics but had instead chosen to fill the living room in a utilitarian manner. There was a three-seater sofa in the middle of the room, a TV mounted on the wall, a coffee table, a bookcase, and two small couches situated at the far corner of the living room, which was obviously meant to be a reading corner or an imitation of it.

Aiden gravitated to that corner immediately, running his fingers against the books he observed there, smiling slightly. “You read?”

“No, I just keep them for fun,” Nigel snorted, putting down Aiden’s lunch on the kitchen island. “I may look like someone who didn’t pass their school exams, but I can read.”

“So you do know what you look like.” Aiden grinned, pulling out one of the books from its place and perusing the title. It was in Romanian, which Aiden didn’t really know enough of. He knew enough to comfortably get by while trying to eke out a living in Bucharest, but most of the people he had interacted with had spoken English to him whenever they inevitably found out he’s American, so he rarely bothered to learn the language beyond the basics. Maybe he should pick it up again, assuming he was still planning to stick around. He put the book back in its place, shaking his head a little at the assumption that Nigel couldn’t read just because he looked like, well, a bit of a thug.

Aiden hadn’t immediately noticed what Nigel looked like last night. But now, early in the afternoon, Aiden could admit that Nigel was attractive in a silver fox kind of way. He had clearly aged gracefully, never mind that Aiden didn’t really know how old the werewolf really was, as the Loup-Garoux had a pretty long lifespan, if the legends were to be trusted. Nigel was well-built considering his age, his ashen blond hair falling messily across his brows as he set their lunch on the kitchen island.

Nigel looked up to Aiden staring at him thoughtfully and only raised his eyebrow before beckoning Aiden to lunch.

He made his way to the kitchen island and pulled out a stool, sitting down gingerly on it, hissing in pain as he sat down. He wasn’t completely healed, and going to the bathroom had been one of his worst nightmares. _Probably not the best thing to think about when you’re about to have lunch_.

To his credit, Nigel didn’t coddle Aiden as he finished setting up the food for himself and Aiden. They had different meals, and Aiden could tell that all he would be eating, for the time being, was more soup or another version of the old-man porridge he was beginning to be sick of.

The soup he was presented with looked pretty good, however, Aiden sniffing at him thoughtfully before raising his spoon and taking a first bite. The flavor from the spices hit him in the most pleasant way, his smile genuine as he looked up to Nigel quietly studying him. “Okay old man, this is really good. Ciorbă de pește?”

Nigel laughed. “Yes, though I don’t know how you managed to order that with your horrible accent.”

Aiden shrugged as he began to really eat his meal, scooping up the pieces of fish and vegetables floating around in the soup. “I get by,” he said. “Most restaurants have this thing called menu, and I just point at the pictures. Or translate it on the phone. Not everyone lives in the middle ages still.”

Nigel just smirked at the teasing tone. He began to tuck into his own meal as both of them eat in comfortable silence. Aiden chewed thoughtfully as he looked at Nigel, who was resolutely ignoring Aiden while he was eating.

“So do you sell drugs?”

Aiden’s just a little proud at how Nigel actually choked on his lamb pieces, coughing violently before Nigel managed to pour water for himself and drank it down in loud gulps. He seemed a bit annoyed and pleased at Aiden’s question.

“I mean, Darko wasn’t exactly subtle about it,” Aiden said as he continued to eat. “I just thought it must be that or… I don’t know, something else that’s illegal. Firearms or something. Who says transactions otherwise?”

“Bankers do,” Nigel said, trying to preserve his dignity as he took up his fork and knife again. “But yes,” he said after a pause. “It is… something that’s illegal.”

Aiden smiled. “Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me. After all, I don’t think anyone would believe me if I told them that werewolves are real and I’m sitting down here eating with one of them while we’re discussing what said werewolf does for a living.”

Nigel narrowed his eyes but he settled for a smirk. “Well, what do you do?”

“I draw graphic novels about werewolves.”

Nigel barked out a laugh at that. “Really?”

Aiden shrugged, finishing up his soup, which really was rather pleasant. “Sometimes real world’s stranger than fiction.”

Nigel only smiled at that.

Things got easier for him after Nigel gave Aiden a little bit more freedom to explore his apartment. Aiden was content to peruse the book collection that Nigel had offered to him, and he was glad to find out that some of them were in English. Sometimes Nigel brought him back more books when he came back home, and Aiden could only smile at him gratefully, too tongue-tied to say anything. Nigel had clearly been paying closer attention to him than he had thought; the books he had chosen were obviously chosen based on what books Aiden had read in the past few days. 

He still felt a little bit restless on the bad days, but the worst was the nightmares he’d started having on the second day of his stay there.

He’d woken up screaming and tearing at his hair when Nigel had finally barged inside the bedroom to settle him down. It took him a long moment to breathe comfortably again, to forget that he wasn’t in the forest still. Nigel had rocked him back and forth on the bed, and Aiden had finally settled into a dreamy sort of haze as he buried his nose into Nigel’s neck, the man enveloping him in an embrace as Aiden slowly fell back to sleep.

Nigel was gone in the morning, mere hours later, but Aiden smiled gratefully at him when the man came into the bedroom to usher him to breakfast. If Nigel smiled a little too sadly at him, he would let it slide for now.

Their conversations had gotten easier, with more or less the same amount of teasing from both of them, Aiden always a little bit playful, while Nigel showed his amusement in the crinkle of his eyes whenever he smiled or grinned at him. It was hard for Aiden to leave the comfort of Nigel’s easy acceptance and warmth as he crept into bed alone at night.

The nightmares always returned.

Aiden felt horrified when he realized that he managed to scratch Nigel’s face in his thrashing when he woke up from one of his nightmares, but he meekly submitted to Nigel’s embrace as Aiden buried his tears in Nigel’s shoulders.

“Please stay,” he whispered, shivering as Nigel wrapped himself around him tighter. He was too tired to care about the implication of his words, the need for some comfort driving the shame out of him.

Nigel stayed with him until the morning. Aiden had the pleasure of waking up to Nigel’s bedhead, turning the awkward “morning after” into another teasing session as he tried to ruffle Nigel’s hair. Nigel managed to glare at him blearily before making his way to the bathroom to get ready for another day.

They had set a rhythm for themselves now, inexplicably enough. Nigel was always busy with a phone-call with Darko or some other “shithead” Nigel dealt with at “work”. Aiden read as much as he could, but he found himself missing his sketches, his artwork, his painting tools, and he wondered if he could ever go back home and if things would really die down after a few weeks of hiding out in Nigel’s house.

That night, Aiden requested for Nigel to sleep next to him, convinced that it would drive the nightmares away. Nigel looked at him for a moment before he slipped into bed, immediately cradling Aiden close to him in his assured manner, and Aiden was grateful for it.

He breathed in deep as he settled himself against Nigel, uncaring at how dependent he had become on this man’s generosity, wishing he could forget about the future and just stay in this moment and forget about his nightmares.

Aiden woke up the next morning to a soft purring beneath him. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes and his vision was filled with white fur. He raised his head slightly and found himself cocooned within Nigel’s wolf form, Nigel still dozing and actually _purring_ beneath him.

He didn’t know what to do for a second before he sighed and settled back down against the wolf’s form, breathing in and out, synchronizing his own breathing with Nigel’s.

He knew the instant Nigel woke up, Nigel’s furry form shifting against him as the werewolf yawned, his tongue rolling out as he did so. It was oddly cute, even if the sight of Nigel’s sharp teeth were anything but. Aiden studied Nigel’s movements, committing them to memory for when he could get back to drawing his graphic novels again. He was somehow living in his own fantasies, and it felt as if he was still dreaming somehow.

“Good morning,” Aiden said softly.

A soft whuff. Nigel licked at Aiden’s face, slobbering him with saliva as Aiden chuckled in disgust and amusement.

“No!” he laughed as Nigel continued to lick at him, pouncing on Aiden as he tried to get out of bed. “Bad dog!”

The werewolf whined, the whine turning into a growl as Nigel shifted back into his human form and tackled Aiden down onto the bed. “Not a dog,” he growled, pinning Aiden down under him as Aiden laughed for the first time in what felt like weeks, Nigel’s hands tickling his ribs.

“Okay, I get it, stop!” Aiden said, laughing again as he struggled beneath Nigel’s body, gasping when he felt a hard bulge against his thigh. “Nigel—”

Nigel had sprinted out of the bed so fast that Aiden wondered if he hadn’t shifted into his wolf form by instinct. Aiden was left alone on the bed, looking in surprise to where Nigel stood, gasping slightly at the sudden loss of warmth.

“Sorry, kid,” Nigel said breezily, trying to make light of the situation, though he was slowly backing away from Aiden, as though trying not to spook him further.

Aiden swallowed, laying his head back down on the bed. “It’s okay,” he muttered. “Happens to every man once in a while. And to werewolves too, I guess.”

He heard Nigel’s strangled laugh before the man got into the bathroom, closing the door behind him in a rush.

Aiden was left with all sorts of confusing feelings after that strange, awkward morning. On the one hand, he had loved the feeling of being wrapped up in Nigel’s embrace, whether it was in his human form or his wolf form. On the other hand, he wasn’t ready to unpack Nigel’s budding attraction to him just yet, not when he’s still recovering from his recent trauma.

Only Nigel may not even be attracted to him when he thought about it. Morning wood was normal, so it really could’ve been an unfortunate incident and it probably had nothing to do with Nigel’s feelings at all.

Aiden shook his head and tried not to think about the warmth he felt deep in his gut when Nigel had pressed down on him.

Aiden muttered good morning as he entered the living room, heading to the kitchen for a cup of coffee that Nigel had set aside for him.

Nigel looked up when Aiden entered the room, his smile a bit strained. “Morning.”

Nigel had prepared a breakfast gruel for him, which made Aiden miss the old-man-porridge because gruel was just the wrong version of porridge to him. He swallowed down any protest he had, however, thankful that Nigel had actually accommodated him in all sorts of ways since he had gotten there.

In fact, Aiden had felt so comfortable in sharing the space with Nigel that it gave him pause while he was eating. He’d only been there for a week, and it already felt as if he’d known Nigel longer than that. Longer than he’d even known Vivian.

Aiden kept his troubled thoughts to himself, inhaling the gruel as fast as he could to avoid thinking about it for too long. It was never good when his thoughts lingered on to the darker part of his memories.

Nigel cleared his throat. “How are your wounds healing?”

Aiden looked up, biting his cheek as he took count of his body’s condition. “I’ve been a lot worse.” After all, his dad had never been the most caring of men. “I think I’ll be okay in a day or two…” his voice trailed off then, the implication in Nigel’s question becoming clear enough. He cleared his throat, horrified to find that he sounded hoarse as he spoke, tears beginning to prick at his eyes. “Sorry, I know I’ve been a bother to you, but I’m doing great, I can actually go back to my place tomorrow, in fact.”

Nigel frowned at him. “That wasn’t my intention when I asked you if you were okay.”

“No, it’s okay, I get it, you and Darko have a lot of, uh, transactions to take care of.” Aiden smiled briefly. “You were supposed to meet up with some Americans or something, right?”

Nigel’s frown deepened as he took in Aiden’s demeanor. “I told Darko he could take care of it because that’s what I fucking paid him for. Kid, are you really sure you’re okay?”

“Yes! Peachy! I’m done with the gruel, thanks for breakfast.” With that, Aiden got up and washed the bowl and utensils he had used before rushing out of the kitchen to make his way back into the bedroom.

Aiden didn’t know what had him so agitated, but he couldn’t focus on anything as he paced around the room to let out his nervous energy. He couldn’t even focus on reading when he’s like this; he needed his sketching pad, his pencils, his brushes, _anything_ , so that he could actually do something instead of wallowing in his own feelings.

His resolve solidified as he looked around the bedroom which had become his makeshift home for the past few nights. He had nothing but the borrowed clothes on his back right now, so there was really nothing to stop him from just going back to his place. His body has healed, and his nightmares… well, that one he could deal with by himself. Maybe he could get a dog, one with faded white furs. Yes, he could do that.

There was a knock on the door, and Aiden opened the door to let Nigel in, smiling at him to show that nothing was wrong. He hoped his smile didn’t come out too strained.

“Listen, kid—”

“Nigel,” Aiden cut off. Nigel looked irritated at the interruption as he scowled at him. “I’m really thankful for all you’ve done for me. Really. You saved me, even though you didn’t need to. You helped me out with Darko and Dr. Andrei, and I couldn’t be more thankful for it. I completely understand that you need to get back to business now, and I just want you to know that I’m okay. I’m almost healed, and it’s been days since— uh, you know. So I don’t think I need to worry about Gabriel or his pack now. I can go back there today. In fact, I can go there now, since I don’t really have anything to pack out of here.” Aiden let out a forced laughter at that, wincing when it sounded terrible even to himself.

Nigel had stayed silent during Aiden’s sudden word tidal, his face darkening with every word Aiden had uttered. Aiden found it odd. He would’ve thought Nigel would be happy to get rid of him, for all that Nigel boasted that he preferred the solitude over having a pack of his own.

There was a long silence, which Aiden was determined not to break lest he broke down and begged to stay here for another night. No, he’d have to eventually go back into the real world anyway, might as well do it now rather than later. He shouldn’t let himself be so dependent on another human being, not after what had happened to him. What does it matter if Nigel made him feel safe? He didn’t belong in this mythical world; maybe it was better off for him to write about it instead of living in it.

“Okay.”

Aiden let out a sigh of relief as Nigel spoke, although he also felt a little disconcerted at how easy it was for Nigel to let go of him. But then again, Aiden was the one imagining a supposed attraction on Nigel’s side. “Thank you,” he muttered, moving forward to walk out of the bedroom, the apartment.

“Aiden.”

He was halfway down the corridor when he heard Nigel calling his name. It was disconcerting to realize that it had been a while since he heard his own name. Nigel had always just called him "kid" when he did address him. He looked back to Nigel, strangely hopeful and yet wary of being hopeful.

Nigel stepped forward, leaning into Aiden’s personal space. Everything else felt oddly muted; he could only hear their breaths almost mingling together as Nigel grasped his hands.

Aiden’s brows drew in confusion as he felt Nigel handing him something, forcing his hands to wrap around it. _The silver knife_ , he realized. The knife he had kept with him, even while he was delirious that night. Aiden looked up to Nigel tremulously, but Nigel wasn’t looking at him, he was looking down at their clasped hands.

“I’ll call you a cab. One of my guys will go back with you to make sure you get there safely,” Nigel muttered, his voice subdued, grip tightening before he let go of Aiden’s hands completely.

Aiden swallowed down his screams as Nigel walked past him to the front door, the other man already pulling out his phone and making calls to arrange for Aiden’s departure.

Nigel had kept his words, ordering one of his many henchmen to tail Aiden’s cab from a distance to ensure that no one else was tailing him. Aiden had gotten into the cab, trying not to look back, but it was a useless endeavor as he felt his gaze pulled towards where Nigel was standing on the doorsteps to his apartment building. Nigel was pulling out a cigarette and lighting one up when he looked up and waved to Aiden as the cab pulled out into the street.

Aiden realized with a pang that he didn’t even know where he’d been staying for the past few nights, contented to know that wherever he was, he was being kept safe by Nigel. He was being driven away with no knowledge of how he could keep in touch with Nigel ( _only to thank him with a fruit basket now and then_ , Aiden told himself), how he could find Nigel again if he wanted to.

He almost cried at the thought until he remembered that Nigel’s henchman was following him, and he turned back to find the man as the cab pulled away into another street. Aiden frowned; he didn’t really recognize the henchman as the man was skulking about out of view, so he couldn’t really see if anyone was really tailing him.

Trying to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach, he turned back and leaned against the seat, his gaze wandering at the streets passing by as the car took him to his destination.

He didn’t know how long it took until the cab pulled aside his old housing area, though he immediately got out of the cab to look at his apartment. The cabbie grunted as Aiden waved goodbye, the fare having been paid by Nigel in advance, and Aiden only sighed (in relief? In remorse? He didn’t know anymore) as he made his way through the familiar route to his apartment.

When Aiden got to his apartment door, it became immediately clear to him that Nigel had probably taken care of his apartment while he was recuperating at the other man’s house. The lock at the door had been changed, and Aiden looked lost for a moment before he thought to look for the keys under the welcome mat, inside the potted plant next to his entrance, before he eventually found it inside his mailbox. He felt too relieved to care at how someone else could’ve actually found the key and broke into his house, turning the lock and entering his former haven.

Aiden breathed in deep as he entered the apartment, closing the door behind him before he locked it. The space looked… no less different than when he had last vacated it, though it looked as if someone had been through his things, as some of his possessions were not placed where he had left them last. Aiden assumed that this was Nigel’s doing as well. There was no clutter, at least, though it did leave Aiden feeling a bit more discombobulated. 

He took a few steps into the living room before a growl alerted him to another presence beside him. Whipping his head towards the sound of the growl, he reflexively crouched into a defensive position before he was attacked and pushed down to the floor. Aiden gasped as he realized that he was pinned down by a werewolf, his furs the color of midnight black. He recognized the werewolf in an instant, his instincts telling him it was him— _Gabriel_.

Aiden couldn’t think, reflexively pulling out the silver knife he had kept concealed on his body and unsheathing it to jab it as forcefully as he could, managing to surprise Gabriel enough for him to leap back from Aiden. Aiden sat up fast, thrusting the knife out as he picked himself up into a defensive stance, Gabriel’s wolf form snarling and snapping its teeth at him.

The wolf pounced without a warning, and he managed to hold the knife in front of him in the hopes that it could maim or slow it down, but he'd been slightly slower as he felt the wolf bite into his throat, screaming as he felt its teeth puncturing his skin.

Gritting his teeth in pain, he focused on holding the knife in both hands as he struggled to stab it into the wolf pinning him down, realizing that Gabriel intended to tear his throat out. With a rush of adrenaline, he grunted in pain and drove up the knife above him, into the wolf, as hard as he could. Before the wolf could react, Aiden forced the blade deeper, his hands warm from the blood spilling onto his fingers.

The whine of pain and the subsequent smell of burning fur brought vicious satisfaction, Aiden trying to ignore his own pain as he slapped a hand over the wound on his throat, hoping to stave off the bleeding until he could call for help.

He struggled to get up to a sitting position as he looked at the wolf writhing about in his living room, thrashing around for a few minutes before its form slowly morphed back into that of Gabriel. The man was gasping for breath where he lay on the floor, his eyes full of venom when he turned to glare at Aiden.

Aiden, still full of adrenaline, crouched back to put some space between them in case he needed to make a quick getaway. But no need - his knife had hit true and Gabriel lay dying as Aiden’s body trembled in shock.

“You... useless… pup,” Gabriel was saying amidst his pained gasps. “I lost… everything… Rafe… Astrid and Vivian”—cough—“gone…”—a hiss of pain—“you’ll pay… one day…”

Aiden stared into Gabriel’s eyes as it started to grow glassy with death. “Yes, but not today,” he muttered before Gabriel coughed in pain once more and finally stilled, dead by Aiden’s hands.

Aiden felt numb. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do now, his hand still clasped around his throat to slow down the bleeding, but his adrenaline rush was finally giving up on him, his body collapsing on the floor as he gazed up at the ceiling of his apartment.

His apartment. It was his haven once. Bucharest had been a haven once as well before everything had gone to hell. Aiden tried to slow his breathing, his pained gasps. His skin didn’t tear too badly, but he was losing blood, and he had no one to call out to as he lay dying in his once haven. He finally let the tears flow freely, realizing that this was how he would die, along with a werewolf who had tried to kill him— _well, succeeding at it, really,_ Aiden thought hysterically.

He closed his eyes. _Dying wouldn’t be so bad_ , he thought. He’d had a good run, even with all the shit that had happened in between. He was glad for the small sliver of happiness that he got to experience: his euphoria when he managed to book a passage across the sea away from his abusive father, becoming the graphic novelist he had so aspired to, meeting Vivian, both of them so carefree and innocent to the ways of the world, meeting Nigel—

 _Nigel_.

___

_Aiden woke up screaming._

_“Sshh, Aiden, it’s me, you’re okay, you’re here with me.”_

_The soft words spoken in his ears, one hand gripping his body firmly to the other man’s, the other hand slowly rubbing his back in a circling, calming motion helped to center Aiden back into the present._

_Aiden blinked again, drawing his gaze up to the man hugging him close. “Nigel,” he whispered, his body still trembling in shock._

_“It’s alright, kid, you’re here with me, there’s no one else here.” Nigel’s voice was gruff, heavy with sleep; Aiden had probably woken him up when he started screaming._

_Aiden could feel his tremors slowly starting to subside as he took several deep breaths. He breathed in the scent of the man, the werewolf, placating him from his nightmares. “Nigel…”_

_“That’s right, you’re okay now, you can go back to sleep kid, I’ll be here.”_

_He closed his eyes again, trying to calm his rabbiting heart as Nigel continued to soothe him, speaking in hushed tones until he could feel himself slipping back into a restless sleep._

The next time he came to, Aiden was staring at a familiar ceiling, his heart heavy in his chest, surrounded by darkness. _It’s not a dream_ , he thought. _Please tell me it’s not a fucking dream_.

“Aiden.”

He turned to see Nigel making his way to his side. Nigel, who had sat up from his sofa by the window when he saw that Aiden had awakened, his expression distraught.

“Hi,” Aiden said softly, his hands twitching forward to touch Nigel, to make sure that it really wasn’t a dream. Nigel quickly sat down on the bed, to take his rightful place on Aiden’s side, clasping Aiden’s hand in awe and reverence as he brought it up to his lips and planted a kiss on it.

 _Okay, this must be a dream_.

Aiden screwed his eyes shut. “Nigel… ‘s this a dream?”

A soft chuckle reached his ears, and he felt Nigel leaning in closer to him, to breathe in his scent and press his lips on Aiden’s forehead, Aiden’s hand still held tight in between their bodies. “No, gorgeous,” Nigel whispered, the words lost in his curls, “you’re right here with me.”

Aiden sighed in relief at the confirmation. He brought his other hand to pull Nigel closer to him, Nigel shifting his position slightly to envelope Aiden’s smaller form, Aiden now conscious enough to finally pull Nigel forward into a kiss.

“Aiden,” Nigel gasped around his mouth, but Aiden didn’t want to hear it, continuing his kiss and pulling Nigel even closer, their hands still clasped together. “Gorgeous, we need to—”

“Oh for the love of God, _Nigel_!”

Nigel sat up quickly, looking angry and somewhat ashamed at being interrupted. Aiden rather liked that look on him. “Don’t you people fucking knock?” he shouted.

“Fuck you, we’ve been in and out of this room so many times when he was still unconscious, why the fuck would we think to knock and interrupt you molesting the boy in his sleep?” Darko snarled, coming into the room with Dr. Andrei in tow.

“I wasn’t— _fuck you_ , he came onto _me_ , Darko—”

“Really? Someone who just woke up from a few days’ coma just suddenly asked you for a kiss, like you’re some kind of Prince Charming? Are you on drugs today? Did you steal some from our stash?”

“ _Enough_ , boys!” Dr. Andrei snapped, effectively shutting down their bickering, Nigel and Darko both swallowing down their argument as they looked to the doctor. “I’m here to do my job, please! I have places to be after this you know, how many times must you make me come here to clean up your mess?”

Nigel grumbled and muttered curses under his breath as he straightened himself, pushing his hair back from his forehead as he moved onto his couch by the window, glaring at Darko. Darko only smirked at Nigel’s fuming before sitting down next to Nigel, making Nigel growl at him in increasing irritation.

“I tell you,” Dr. Andrei said, helping Aiden to sit up against the headboard, “you live long enough with these two, you’ll know they’re the most useless werewolves in Bucharest.”

Both Nigel and Darko’s hackles raised at that, but the doctor only _tsk_ ed at them before returning his attention to Aiden. “Now Aiden, this is just a cursory visit. I’ve been attending to your wounds for the past five days, the worst of it being your throat. That idiot tried to cut your throat out, but I think you managed to stop him in time.” An indulgent smile as the doctor said this to Aiden, all while he was opening the bandage covering Aiden’s throat. The doctor moved delicate fingers to the throat, examining the wound before humming, apparently satisfied by what he’d seen.

He began redressing the wound as he spoke again. “Looks like you’re recovering quite well, no infection and I don’t think any venom got into your wound before you managed to kill Gabriel.” He smiled proudly and patted Aiden on the shoulder as he moved through the rest of his examination. Aiden felt oddly restless, praying for this to be over and he could get back to kiss Nigel again, the taste of the other man still on his lips.

He raised his head to look at Nigel, sitting across from him on the sofa, realizing with a pleased jolt that Nigel was watching him intently in turn. Aiden’s smile bloomed on his face and he felt his face redden in a blush, Nigel’s eyes darkening with heat as he smiled back.

Darko groaned. “What the fuck, stop fucking flirting! The doctor’s right there! And so am I!”

Dr. Andrei tutted again, packing his stethoscope back into his briefcase as he turned to stare disapprovingly at Nigel. “He’s still on bed rest, Nigel,” he said in a stern voice. “Under _no circumstances_ should you do anything that will make him rip out his stitches. Doctor’s orders.”

Nigel shrugged, leaning back against the sofa as he visibly deflated. He kicked at Darko’s shin in a fit of displeasure since he couldn’t very well do the same to Dr. Andrei. Darko glared at Nigel as he punched him on the shoulder. “Quit being a drama queen, by God man have some dignity. You’ve cried for the past five days.”

“I _did not_ —”

“BOYS!” Dr. Andrei shouted, standing up from the bed. He shook his head as he motioned for Darko to follow him out, Darko throwing a pleased smirk at Nigel, feeling smug at the fact that he was successful in riling Nigel up. The doctor turned to glance towards Nigel as he was stepping out of the room, saying “Mind you don’t rip the stitches, Nigel!” in his characteristic stern manner.

The bedroom door slammed shut to the sound of Darko’s laughter following them out of the house.

Aiden smiled at Nigel, ignoring the doctor and Darko’s awkward departure. They were blessedly alone again, and so he held out his hand and beckoned Nigel towards him. Nigel made his way to Aiden with no hesitance, intertwining their fingers together as Nigel positioned himself to cradle Aiden’s body close to him.

“Nigel.” Aiden moaned in pleasure at the feeling of being enveloped in Nigel’s scent again, pushing his nose insistently at Nigel’s throat as he nuzzled closer to him. “I missed you,” Aiden sighed. A few seconds of silence passed as Nigel ran his hand through Aiden’s curls and tugging Aiden closer to him with the other. “Did you miss me?”

Nigel made a choked sound, something in between a laugh and a sob. “I missed you, gorgeous. More than you’ll know.”

Aiden hummed happily at that, curling one of his hands on Nigel’s chest, his touch light and teasing. “…Did you really cry?”

Nigel pulled back from Aiden, laying his head on the pillow next to Aiden so that they could both see into each other’s eyes now, no emotions left to restrain. “I thought I lost you.”

Aiden smiled, scooting closer to Nigel to give him a chaste kiss, but the kiss grew more and more heated as their bodies ground against each other. Aiden moaned around the kiss, his hands pawing at Nigel’s shirt as he tried to get them off, eager to feel Nigel’s skin against his, even if his more lucid self shouted at him at what a bad idea all this was going to be.

Nigel growled as he got up, breaking their kiss, sitting up to remove his clothes and pants before doing to same to Aiden, Aiden gasping as his body was bared to Nigel, whining in need when he saw Nigel’s pupils blown in desire.

“Nigel, please,” Aiden pleaded, pulling Nigel back down onto him as Nigel settled between his legs, his body ever mindful not to hurt Aiden. But Aiden had lost all of his patience, he wanted to feel Nigel against him again, needed to have that warmth and body pinning him down. Aiden pulled Nigel roughly to kiss him, their teeth clacking together before Nigel thrust his tongue into Aiden’s mouth, Aiden moaning his pleasure at the sensation.

When Nigel’s entire body finally settled onto Aiden, both of them moaning at the contact, Nigel’s cock bobbing against Aiden’s thigh, leisurely feeling each other through their tongues and their touches.

“I want you, gorgeous,” Nigel whispered, and Aiden could’ve sobbed at the admission, relief and pleasure overwhelming him. “Aiden, I’ve wanted you so fucking much.”

“Then have me,” Aiden gasped, his head thrown back in pleasure at the friction between their writhing bodies, exposing his throat to Nigel. “Please, Nigel, I want you. Please don’t make me wait.”

“God, this is such a bad idea, are you sure you don’t want to wait—”

“I’m _sure_ ,” Aiden growled from where he was pinned beneath Nigel. He arched his body to grind himself against Nigel, pleased at the feel of the other man’s burgeoning interest against his thigh.

“ _Fuck_. Fine, it’s your funeral,” Nigel said. He shivered and groaned before pulling away slightly to reach for something in the drawer next to the bed, coming back with a bottle of lubricant. He smiled at Aiden’s questioning gaze. “I haven’t used it in a while, in case you’re wondering.”

Aiden’s cheeks reddened, though his smile returned on his face. He felt like his cheeks would burst from smiling too much as Nigel gazed at him with adoration.

The bottle of lube was uncapped, Nigel coating his fingers generously with it before he glanced down to Aiden again, his eyes seeking permission. Aiden nodded, his body trembling from arousal and anticipation as Nigel pushed one finger slowly, probing his entrance until he felt the muscles give, entering another finger to slowly massage Aiden from the inside.

Aiden gasped as Nigel crooked his fingers into the spot that ignited pleasure inside his body, his toes curling with it. “Nigel, so good,” he moaned as Nigel continued to press and massage his prostate in teasing pressures. “Nigel, in me, please.”

Nigel kissed Aiden’s stomach, entering another finger to loosen Aiden’s hole enough for his cock, not wanting to hurt the boy writhing so beautifully beneath him in unbridled pleasure. He felt as if he could do this forever, bringing Aiden to the edge of pleasure before pulling back, torturing him until he would beg for release, for Nigel’s cock to fill him to completion.

But today, Nigel couldn’t wait.

He removed his fingers from Aiden’s hole, took his cock in hand and aligned himself. He paused, taking in Aiden’s reaction as his cock slowly breached him, Aiden’s hitching breath giving way to groans of satisfaction when Nigel finally bottomed out inside him.

“So big,” Aiden stuttered, his hands moving to Nigel’s biceps to ground him in reality. Nigel huffed and rocked his cock in a circling motion, making Aiden groan again as he closed his eyes in ecstasy. “Nigel, oh god, take me, please, fuck me,” he managed to whisper through his haze.

Nigel growled, pulling his cock out halfway before slamming back into Aiden, his face just above Aiden’s to drink in the knowledge that Aiden was squirming in pleasure on his cock, possessive in his claim.

He continued his slow thrusts, Aiden clinging bodily to him as his body jerked from their fucking. Nigel thrust in leisurely, finding an angle that would make Aiden beg for him. When Nigel finally grazed against Aiden’s prostate, he tightened his grip on Aiden’s quivering thighs and fucked into Aiden with renewed vigor, drawing out his screams of pleasure as Nigel pounded into that sweet spot again and again.

“Nigel, oh god, _oh_ — don’t stop, ah, please don’t stop.”

The sight of Aiden trembling and struggling beneath him as he fucked deep inside of him was enough to make Nigel curse in his mother tongue, the sensations almost overwhelming.

“Aiden, you feel so fucking good,” Nigel panted above him, his sweat dripping from his disheveled hair onto Aiden’s skin as he continued his thrusts. “So warm and wet for me, gorgeous.”

“Nigel, _ha_ —I’m close,” Aiden groaned, hips snapping to take Nigel’s cock deeper into him, the burn satisfying in its intensity. He couldn’t control the words coming out of his mouth anymore, his need rising as he was brought closer to the edge. “Please knot me. I wanna feel you— _ah_ —inside me.”

Nigel’s growl only made Aiden’s cock twitched harder against his stomach. Nigel slowed down his thrusts, his breathing heavy as he gazed down at Aiden, frowning slightly. “You don’t have to take it, gorgeous. I don’t wanna hurt you.”

“I want you to,” Aiden whispered, tears in his eyes as he felt the truth of this, his body singing with pleasure, willing and begging to be taken and claimed by Nigel. “Please, I need it. Please.”

Nigel groaned, his knot beginning to form inside of Aiden even as he slowed his thrusts into a rocking movement. “ _Fuck_ , Aiden.”

Aiden growled then, rocking his hips to take Nigel in deeper, gasping and begging as he felt Nigel’s knot growing inside him, whining “ _yes_ , please, oh god, please Nigel, _please_.”

Nigel resumed his thrusts, slamming his growing knot into Aiden as Aiden keened beneath him in equal pain and pleasure. Aiden moaned and gasped when he finally felt Nigel’s knot inflate inside him, grinding against his prostate ruthlessly. Nigel seemed to have lost his control and fucked into him mercilessly, his teeth on Aiden’s unmarred throat an enticing feeling as their bodies rocked into one another.

Aiden screamed as Nigel’s knot slammed fully inside his body, felt himself come the same time Nigel filled him up with his seed. “Nigel,” he whined, weak with pleasure.

Nigel was still biting lightly on his throat, only pulling away up to kiss Aiden through their orgasm, his come filling Aiden up still. “Baby, you feel so fucking good,” Nigel whispered in between kisses. “Are you hurt?”

Aiden breathed through his nose before Nigel finally let him go for air, gasping at the tug of Nigel’s knot still inflated inside of him. Nigel bent down a little to finger Aiden at where they’re joined together.

“Hurts,” Aiden croaked. “But it feels good.” He closed his eyes and groaned, feeling blissful as he came down from his orgasm.

“Fuck, I think you might be bleeding,” Nigel said, his fingers coming away red.

Aiden pulled at Nigel’s wrist, bringing the fingers into his mouth as he sucked the digits, the wet noises he was making entirely obscene, but he didn’t care. Nigel’s pupils were blown wide, his golden eyes flashing in desire as he watched Aiden licking at his fingers.

“I’m not a porcelain doll, Nigel,” Aiden said as he released Nigel’s fingers and wrist. “I’ll survive a good fucking.”

Nigel couldn’t contain his laugh at that, eyes crinkling in a truly endearing way, leaning down to kiss Aiden again as they waited for the knot to go down. “Wish I could breed you, gorgeous. Fill you up with my pups.”

Aiden shivered at the suggestion, smiling into the lazy kisses Nigel bestowed on him. It’s a fantasy, but Aiden wanted nothing more than to be bred by Nigel over and over again. “I’d let you,” he whispered, putting his arms around Nigel’s head and begging him for more kisses as he ground his hips on Nigel’s knot, both of them gasping when Nigel came inside him again.

“We’re never getting out of this bed if you keep doing that, gorgeous,” Nigel muttered, though he never stopped kissing Aiden.

Aiden didn’t need to tell him that he wouldn’t mind that all.

Both of them regretted their impulsive decision when Dr. Andrei had to make another house visit the next morning to treat Aiden’s wounds, Darko mercifully absent from the proceedings.

Dr. Andrei frowned when he observed a recent tear and several fresh bruises littering Aiden’s body from where Nigel had held him down last night, the doctor’s eyes narrowing as he looked at Aiden’s throat while Aiden was busy trying to ignore the doctor’s gaze.

“ _Esti un idiot_ ,” the doctor had muttered darkly once Nigel was let inside the room again, his glare accusing. Nigel tried to assemble an expression that’s closest to repentant, but Aiden thought he rather looked like a child caught with a hand in the cookie jar.

Aiden squirmed when the doctor turned his attention to him. “Um. I asked him to?”

“Then you’re an idiot too,” Dr. Andrei snapped, rolling his eyes at the both of them. “I’m too old to tell you how to practice safe sex, and _you_ should be old enough to know better.”

Nigel only managed to look sheepish. “Sorry, doc. Won’t happen next time.”

“Really? Because I still have to come and check on him tomorrow, and I’ll kill both of you if I see another tear, don’t think I won’t.”

Aiden felt his cheeks heating up and refused to look at Nigel, who was probably giving him a shit-eating grin right now because he was an asshole.

The doctor sighed, shaking his head as he repacked his briefcase. “Look, you’re both adults. Next time you can’t keep your knot to yourself, _Nigel_ , just prep him up with a knotting toy and lubricant. Actually, I think I have some lubricant left if you’d like that?”

Aiden had sputtered at the doctor’s words, his whole face and probably his whole body now as red as a ripened tomato. “A _what_ toy now?”

Aiden turned to look at Nigel, and sure enough, Nigel’s wearing his widest shit-eating grin because clearly _is_ an asshole, and he had the audacity to _laugh_ when he saw the expression on Aiden’s face at the doctor’s suggestion.

“You know what, doc?” Nigel said in between laughter. “I’ll take that lube since ours just ran out.”

“Don’t bother, doctor,” Aiden spat out, glaring at Nigel. “Nigel’s just going to use it to jerk himself off because I sure as hell won’t be sleeping with him tonight.”

“Too much information for me, my dear,” Dr. Andrei quipped, his voice sounding strangled as he closed his briefcase with a loud _snap_ , standing up to take his leave.

Nigel raised an eyebrow, _still grinning_ , clearly taking Aiden’s words as a challenge. “Oh? I think I can make you beg for my knot again, darling,” he purred, stepping closer to Aiden as he continued to glare at him.

“Well, I’m needed elsewhere! Good day!” the doctor said, rushing out of the room and slamming the door behind him in vengeance.

Nigel smirked at the door before turning his attention back to an annoyed Aiden, but his laughter started up again as he saw that the good doctor had indeed left the lubricant on the bed.

“You think you’re so fucking funny,” Aiden said, crossing his arms, though he had to bite back his own smile.

“I know so, darling,” Nigel purred, picking up the lube and prowling onto Aiden’s body lying prone on the bed.

Aiden’s protest died on his throat as Nigel effectively shut him up with a tongue in his mouth, and his protestations sounded a lot more like pleasured moans as Nigel continued his exploration of Aiden’s body.

To hell with it, Aiden will let Nigel win just this once.


	3. delectable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nigel took the good doctor’s advice, and Aiden discovered all the pleasurable ways Nigel could torture him.

In the days that followed, Aiden spent as much time as he could with Nigel, his body still recuperating from all the messed-up events that he had somehow survived. He could think of worse things than being cooped up with someone who constantly took care of all his needs and ensured his nightmares were always soothed.

Especially if that someone brought pleasure to Aiden on a daily basis.

He didn’t know how he had managed to live before this without experiencing the pleasures he did now with Nigel – it was never a priority or something that he thought he would want until he had met Vivian and fell head over heels over her personality and spirits. Of course, they had heavy makeout sessions in the secret corners of Bucharest’s many empty alleys, mostly groping at each other whenever they could, though Vivian had always turned down his invitation to spend more time with him at his apartment. In hindsight, he understood now why she had been reluctant to do so, her werewolf instinct probably warring with her love for Aiden, culminating in the events which had led him with an unfortunate first encounter with Nigel.

And yet, Aiden couldn’t come to regret that he had met Nigel.

He'd received a letter from Vivian in the first week of his recovery, which only contained a phone number. Aiden had borrowed one of Nigel’s burner phones to call the number, as Nigel didn’t trust any other werewolf than himself when it came to Aiden’s safety. His call came through, Vivian answering and sounding upset when she first heard his voice.

“Aiden, I’m so sorry,” Vivian had said, her voice soft and hoarse. It sounded as if she was holding back her tears. “I never wanted things to turn out the way it did. I’m so, so happy you’re alive.”

Aiden sighed, hearing her voice again after a few weeks of not seeing her. The last time they had seen each other, Aiden had been captured by Gabriel’s men, and Vivian had been powerless to stop the werewolves from chasing Aiden into the forest. As terrible as he had felt that night, he imagined that Vivian had also been living with her own set of nightmares, having to see her once-boyfriend dragged off into the words.

“How are you?”

A choked sob. “How am I? I’ve been better. How are _you_?”

He shrugged before he realized she couldn’t see it. “I’m… I survived. I’m alive, and I’ll be better,” he said. “Where are you? Are you with Astrid?”

“I guess you heard that from Gabriel before you killed him?”

“Yes, listen, about Gabriel—”

“Don’t, Aiden, don’t apologize,” Vivian whispered fiercely. “He deserved everything that happened to him after what he’s done to us. He was nothing more than a fool, an Alpha who sought to control through means of extortion instead of finesse and actual leadership. I’m _glad_ you killed him.”

Aiden smiled at the venom in her voice. “That’s good. I wasn’t going to apologize. I was about to say that he was an asshole who deserved to die.” He smiled wider at the laughter he heard on the other line.

“Good,” Vivian said with relish. “I’m… yes, I’m with my aunt. I think it’s for the best that we don’t tell you where we are since I know that some people are still looking for us. But I can tell you that I’ll be a much better Alpha than Gabriel would ever be.”

“You will be,” Aiden said with conviction. “You’re such a strong person. It was one of the reasons I fell in love with you, your fierce independence.”

There was a short silence while Vivian tried to stifle her tears.

“I wish there could be a better ending for us, Aiden,” she whispered. “I loved you too.”

Aiden couldn’t find it in himself to cry again. He had cried too many times over the past few days, reliving his worst and best memories and mourning for what could have been. He felt as if he had been mourning for his whole life, and he felt tired from it all.

“Be well, Vivian. I hope we can meet again under better circumstances.”

He heard a sniffle as Vivian likely wiped her tears away. “I’m really, really glad I met you, Aiden. I’m proud to have met and loved someone like you. You would’ve made a fierce werewolf.”

Aiden smiled at that. “I’m okay with being human. But I’m glad I met you too.”

“Take care, Aiden. I’ll contact you again when we’ve set ourselves up somewhere safe.”

“I always take care of myself. I’ll talk to you again, Viv.”

He could almost hear her smile over the phone. “Bye, Aiden. See you.”

The line went dead.

Aiden stared for a long moment at the burner phone in his hands after they’d hung up. He only noticed Nigel hovering around as the phone was gently picked up from his hand, Nigel putting it in his jeans pocket before he sat down next to Aiden. They were sitting on the couch in the living room, Aiden feeling warm and pleasant as he scooted closer to Nigel and resting his head on Nigel’s shoulder.

Nigel hummed, pleased, his hand going around the sofa to pull Aiden closer to him, Aiden immediately nuzzling Nigel’s throat. Nigel laughed at the action. “Are you sure you’re not the werewolf here? I swear you love sniffing me more than I do.”

“You smell good,” Aiden said honestly, closing his eyes as he burrowed his face in Nigel’s throat. “You always make me feel good.”

Nigel cleared his throat at that, lost at words for once. His hands were caressing Aiden’s forearms as Aiden breathed him in. They were content to stay that way for a few minutes before Nigel spoke.

“How’s Vivian?”

Aiden told Nigel about Vivian and what had happened to them before he was chased by Gabriel’s pack, and Nigel begrudgingly told him that Vivian sounded like a great person.

“She’s with her aunt now,” Aiden said, smiling. “I think they’re making plans to rule the werewolf world or something. She’s very capable that way.”

Nigel laughed, kissing Aiden’s curls. “Sounds like she could do it. I’d rather have someone like her instead of all the cocksure runts running around here these days.”

“Do you think we’re safe now?”

Nigel considered that for a moment. “I don’t really know, kid. Most of the packs have spread around after Gabriel died. I haven’t heard any news of a new Alpha; Darko’s keeping his tabs on them on top of everything else he’s doing. I’ve killed enough of that fucker’s pack members to warn them to stay away. And I’ll kill anyone else who hurt you.”

The nonchalant tone in Nigel’s voice as he said this made Aiden shiver against him. He had known who Nigel was when he had stayed with him, what Nigel had been capable of. It didn’t make any sense that Aiden would be so accepting of his darkness, at the lengths the man would go to to make sure he was safe. But he had found a new haven in Nigel’s arms. He was willing to do anything right now to keep it safe, even if he knew that Nigel was a killer.

His grip tightened at Nigel’s forearm. Aiden took a deep breath and raised his face from Nigel’s throat to pull Nigel towards him, kissing him softly. As always when it came to Nigel, the kiss deepened, Nigel shifting to lay himself bodily over Aiden as they kissed and pawed at each other in a leisurely manner.

Aiden groaned when he felt Nigel’s hard cock grinding against his, Nigel cupping his ass in both hands as he ground them together, the friction igniting sparks of pleasure in Aiden as Nigel pinned him down on the couch. Aiden’s breathing grew harsher as Nigel probed his tongue in his mouth, his hands roaming Nigel’s back and his hair.

“I’ll give you the world if you ask for it, darling.”

“Nigel,” he whined. “Touch me.”

Nigel chuckled, breaking off the kiss and smiling wider when Aiden whined again, trying to pull him back down. “Not until we’ve had lunch. Come on, I’ll take you out.”

“You _just_ said you’d give me the world.” Aiden pouted, raising himself on his elbows when Nigel got up from the couch to go and get something from the bedroom.

“Get ready, Aiden,” Nigel called out as he made his way out of the living room.

Aiden sighed, biting his lips as he tried to will his erection away. Nigel could be a tease sometimes, and they haven’t had penetrative sex for a week now ever since their first time together. Aiden thought that Nigel was probably erring on the side of caution, especially after he received another tirade from the irate Dr. Andrei about safe sex practices while Aiden was still recovering. To make sure the tirade had stuck, Dr. Andrei had brought in Darko as a witness. As far as the method went, it was unfairly effective, since Darko had mercilessly teased Nigel into grudging submission.

Aiden had also gotten a stern warning from Dr. Andrei about seducing Nigel into bed, the lecture given as a sermon in front of Nigel and Darko, both men smirking at Aiden’s red-faced embarrassment before Darko returned to heckling Nigel again.

So. The lesson had apparently stuck with Nigel.

Oh sure, they had sex. Nigel usually used his hands, his mouth, his tongue or his fingers to bring Aiden sobbing into climax, and he usually distracted Aiden enough to jerk himself off to completion afterward.

Aiden couldn’t really complain about the (admittedly still great) sex, except that he really, really wanted to feel Nigel’s knot in him again, to drive away any other person’s claims of Aiden’s body with it.

Aiden sighed again, his erection finally wilted in disappointment. He got up to make his way to their bedroom to get ready for his lunch out with Nigel.

“I thought this was supposed to be a lunch date,” Aiden said a few hours later.

“Thanks, kid, I really feel the love right now,” Darko bit back, rolling his eyes as he finished his meal in record time (in Aiden’s estimate anyway; the man could really eat).

Nigel just chuckled as he smoked his cigarette, blowing the smoke away from the restaurant’s patrons. “I need his help, I have to find something later, so Darko’s gonna keep you company for a while.”

They were eating at one of the restaurants lined up along the cobblestoned streets, one of those grandma-owned restaurants still thriving in the neighborhood due to the home-cooked food and the patrons’ enthusiasm for the surrounding company.

Aiden only had the chance to explore the neighborhood recently, after so many days being forced on bedrest. He was happy to finally see the world outside of their small bubble, enjoying the good weather and great food, although Darko was an unexpected surprise. He couldn’t even pretend to be annoyed that this wasn’t really a date, because watching Nigel and Darko bicker and argue with one another was comforting, in a Stockholm syndrome sort of way. Never mind that they argued about their “work” sometimes. Aiden was just really rolling with the lemons he’d been handed with these days.

“What are you looking for?” Aiden asked, finishing the rest of his drink.

“If I tell you, I'd have to kill you,” Nigel smirked. “Don’t worry, you’ll find out later.”

Aiden raised his eyebrow, smiling at Nigel in what he hoped was a sultry manner. “Later in bed?” he asked sweetly.

Darko sighed next to him. “My kingdom for you two to not flirt every five fucking seconds while I’m _right_ here.”

Nigel laughed, stubbing his cigarette out on the ashtray. “I’m going off first,” Nigel said, his arms raised in a placating gesture. “I’ll only be away for an hour at most, I’ll see you at the apartment. Just let Darko know where you want to go in the meantime.”

“I’m not a babysitter,” Darko said with a scowl.

“Too bad I’m paying you to be one right now.” Nigel stood up and paused for a few seconds before he ruffled Aiden’s hair and left them to the rest of their day.

Darko sighed, comically dramatic. “Well, since I’m being paid for it. Where to, kid?”

Aiden grinned, standing up and stretching. “Let’s just walk around here. I heard there’s a farmers’ market today? And some cathedrals nearby?”

Darko made a bowing gesture, though he was smiling when he stood up from his bow. “Your wish is apparently my command. Come on, let’s go.”

Darko was surprisingly good company, his sense of humor acerbic and sarcastic when he wasn't busy looking menacing to others. He had shown Aiden around, grumbling all the way, though Aiden suspected that he probably didn’t really mind the jaunt along the streets if the way he was pointing out some particularly interesting structures and places along the way was anything to go by.

Aiden had enjoyed the farmers’ market, content to look at the many offerings for the day, taking in the bustling activities around him to commit it to memory. He was particularly attracted to one of the street artists who was sketching the sceneries around him, depicting the city and its surrounding neighborhood in light, pastel colors. He thought of how much he missed drawing and resolved to ask Nigel if he could go back to his apartment for his painting tools one of these days.

By the time Aiden finished his visit to the market and the cathedral, he had started to feel tired from his excursions. It had been a while since he had really walked around after his rehabilitation period, and he was beginning to feel his legs protesting when he requested Darko to take him back to Nigel’s apartment.

Nigel let him inside once Aiden and Darko had arrived at his place. He looked distracted as he told Aiden to have some coffee or tea while he settled his business dealings with Darko at the balcony.

Glad for the chance to rest, he made himself tea and propped himself up on the sofa with a book for the rest of the evening. He was sufficiently distracted by the book he was reading that he only noticed it was getting late when Nigel softly pulled the book away to plant a soft kiss on his forehead.

“Are you guys done?” he asked, stretching his sore limbs as he yawned.

“Yeah, Darko just left,” Nigel replied, walking to the kitchen as he started the preparation for their light dinner.

Aiden put his book down, getting up to help Nigel with dinner. It had felt domestic when he first started offering to help Nigel with the meals since Aiden was itching for something to do other than lounge around the apartment the whole day. Nigel was surprisingly proficient with cooking. Although his dishes were not overly elaborate, the meals tasted like warm, home-cooked meals that his mother probably used to prepare for him. Dinner was a quiet affair, Aiden telling Nigel of what he did for the day as they finished their meal.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Aiden started to say once he finished telling Nigel of his day. “Do you think it’s safe to go back to my apartment for a bit?”

Nigel was in the middle of drinking a beer when he paused minutely at Aiden’s question. He swallowed the rest of his drink and put down the empty can on the table as he stared at Aiden.

“I think it would be foolish to go back so soon after what happened with Gabriel,” Nigel replied after several seconds, his expression inscrutable.

Aiden sighed; he expected that answer somehow. “I know, it’s just… I just feel restless. I just need to go back and grab some of my painting tools, or… I don’t know, tell my agent that I’m in the middle of a rough spot right now to extend the deadline for my next anthology. It’s been a while since I’ve worked on my novel.”

Nigel continued to stare at Aiden, and he didn’t dare look away because he really, really wanted this one thing that could keep him sane.

Finally, after what felt like hours, Nigel nodded, standing up to clear their dinner plates and utensils while avoiding Aiden’s gaze. “I’ll see what I can do. My guys have been scouting the area, he should know if Gabriel’s people are still around.”

Aiden smiled in thanks, standing up to help Nigel with the dishes, only for Nigel to shoo him away.

“I want you in the bedroom, gorgeous,” he muttered as he pecked Aiden’s lips in a chaste kiss. “I have something for you. Why don’t you get out of your clothes and wait for me on the bed?”

Aiden waggled his eyebrows, grinning widely as he turned around to walk out to the bedroom, making sure he swiveled his hips just so to entice Nigel to finish with the dishes faster. Nigel’s answering chuckle as he made his way out of the kitchen was answer enough.

He felt excited. Had Nigel _finally_ broken down on his resolve to not fuck Aiden more than strictly necessary? He had never asked for Aiden to strip down for him so brazenly, usually preferring to tear off their clothes together when they grew too frantic from their building lust. Leaving nothing to chance, Aiden hurriedly pulled out of his shirt and jeans, pulling his boxers down as well, tossing the clothes in the laundry bin next to the bathroom. With that done, he crawled onto the bed, laying down just in time to hear Nigel come into the room.

Nigel smiled at Aiden’s eagerness, Aiden’s cock already half-hard just from the anticipation. He began to strip out of his own clothes, his eyes wandering roaming over Aiden’s body splayed on the bed, his mouth beginning to water at the feast laid out for him. Aiden was truly beautiful, his lean body slightly sculptured, his curls framing his beautiful face, eyes bright blue as they stared back at Nigel.

“So eager for me, darling,” Nigel said, sliding on the bed to brace himself over Aiden, kissing and biting those beautiful lips in turn.

“You kept me waiting,” Aiden reminded him. “Since this afternoon.”

Nigel chuckled. “I did, didn’t I.” He took Aiden’s cock in his hand, Aiden’s breath hitching at the touch as he started to lightly stroke the shaft. “I was waiting for an order,” he continued, kissing Aiden’s open mouth as he continued to stroke his cock slowly, the friction not enough but pleasurable all the same.

“What order?” Aiden’s breathing came out harsher as Nigel fondled his balls, cupping them before returning to stroke the shaft. He whined when Nigel’s hand suddenly left him, the bed dipping as Nigel leaned over to the bedside drawer to retrieve something. “What’s that?”

“Lube,” Nigel said as he threw a bottle of it next to Aiden as he propped himself up on his elbows, “and _this_.”

Aiden could feel his cheeks heating up as he stared at the other item in Nigel’s hand. “Nigel, you did _not_ just buy a knotting toy. _This_ was your errand this afternoon?”

Nigel purred, actually _purred_ , pushing Aiden back down on the bed as he put the toy aside. “I promised I would make you beg me again for my knot, didn’t I?” he said, kissing down Aiden’s throat and uncapping the lube before dipping his fingers inside.

“I thought I’d already begged for it before this,” Aiden said, trying to sound annoyed though the words came out breathless when Nigel began to breach his hole with his fingers. He shut his eyes, letting himself feel Nigel’s fingers entering him in slow, careful movements. He always loved it when Nigel does this, gently probing him for his reactions. Nigel could probably smell it on him when he was aroused just by Nigel fingering him open.

“Maybe I just like to torture you,” Nigel said, smiling as he kissed the tip of Aiden’s cock, wet with need.

Aiden let out a breathless laugh, groaning when Nigel finally pressed his fingers to his prostate.

“There we go, darling. Why don’t you beg for me again?”

“You’re such a fucking _tease_.”

Another crook of his fingers against Aiden’s prostate made Aiden keened even louder, his gasps swallowed down by Nigel’s lips on his, Nigel’s fingers pressing relentlessly inside him.

“Damn right I am,” Nigel whispered against his open lips, carefully slipping his fingers out and rising to pull Aiden’s widespread legs closer to him. The caress of Nigel’s fingers against his cock was brief and teasing, but Aiden closed his eyes and sighed in bliss. “I want to see how many times you can come for me tonight before you beg me for my knot, gorgeous.”

Aiden’s eyes opened at that, three of Nigel’s fingers slipping inside him as Nigel wrapped his hand around his cock again, this time the tug and pressure of Nigel’s hands tighter, the friction enveloping him delightful in its intensity. Aiden’s legs jerked at Nigel’s relentless push against his prostate and his hips bucked almost involuntarily, his body arching upwards to fuck himself into Nigel’s hand. Aiden couldn’t care less at the sounds he was making; he was desperate for more, Nigel’s touches taking him to new heights as he shuddered and twisted within Nigel’s grasp.

It only took a few more strokes before Aiden came, Nigel fondling him past completion until he whimpered for Nigel to stop. He should probably be embarrassed at how fast he came, but he felt too good to care at the moment.

“Beautiful,” Nigel whispered, taking his hand away from Aiden’s cock and licking Aiden’s come off of his fingers before he pressed those digits inside Aiden’s mouth, urging him to lick his own come until Nigel’s fingers were clean. The bitter taste was worth it to swallow just so Aiden could see Nigel’s eyes hungrily devouring his every move.

“Dirty old man.”

Nigel smirked, sweeping Aiden’s damp curls out of his forehead. “Best get ready for round two, gorgeous.”

Aiden only huffed in response, his legs still bracketed around Nigel’s waist. “I haven’t begged for your knot yet.”

Nigel didn’t respond to that, choosing to pick up the knotting toy he’d put aside earlier instead.

Aiden’s eyes tracked the other man’s movement, Nigel slicking the toy with a generous amount of lube before pressing the tip of it into Aiden’s hole, driving it into Aiden in small increments, Aiden’s body welcoming the intrusion after Nigel’s thorough fingering. The toy felt weird, lacking Nigel’s warmth, but Aiden laid back to give himself up willingly to Nigel as he experimented with the toy, his body still lax from orgasm.

When Nigel angled the tip of the toy just so, Aiden’s body stiffened once more, his legs twitching around Nigel as he aimed the thrust to Aiden’s prostate. The build-up was gradual this time, Nigel letting him get used to the feel of the toy even while he was coaxing Aiden to hardness again.

“How does it feel, Aiden?”

Aiden’s cock twitched at the question, at how Nigel is twisting the toy to graze against his prostate almost incessantly. “It’s… different,” he breathed out. “It doesn’t feel like you.”

Nigel let out a warm chuckle. “Just relax, darling. I’ll make sure you’re taken care of tonight.”

They didn’t talk for a while, Nigel concentrating on bringing Aiden to his peak once more. Aiden tried to pull in more oxygen as he gasped in contentment at the gratifying experience of having a lover who knew his body so thoroughly. He groaned at a particularly sharp thrust, his cock now hard against his stomach. “Nigel,” he sighed, as Nigel picked up the pace with his thrusts, drawing gasps and pleased moans from Aiden. “Are you ever going to fuck me tonight?”

“Trust me, darling, I won’t let you rest until you’ve got my knot in you.”

“Oh god,” he whimpered. “Nigel, please, now, it’s not enough.”

“Sshh, baby, be a good boy and just take what I give you.”

Aiden let out a breathless laugh at being called _a good boy,_ but his cock was throbbing and twitching at the words. “Please,” he pleaded again, looking at Nigel through his lashes as he writhed under Nigel’s touches.

Nigel leaned forward to kiss Aiden as he picked up the pace of his thrusts, his body rocking against Aiden’s cock. Aiden’s moans were swallowed by Nigel’s kisses, and he was only aware of a different sort of sensation in his ass when Nigel let up from the kiss. “Nigel, what—”

Nigel grinned at Aiden’s gasps, the boy beneath him writhing beautifully on the toy as Nigel turned on the vibrator function. “Told you I’d take care of you.”

“Oh god, it feels so good.” Aiden was squirming, his legs trembling with the vibration of the toy inside him. Nigel was happy to just sit back on his heels and observed how Aiden’s body was reacting to the toy inside of him, pressed and vibrating insistently on to the point which would bring him more pleasure, Aiden’s head thrown back as his body arched off the bed, his mouth opened in a silent plea for release. Nigel had never seen a more beautiful sight than this lovely boy and would be happy to keep him like this in bed forever, on the edge of his precipice.

Nigel’s own cock was hard, throbbing painfully at the reminder that he hadn’t felt Aiden’s warmth for more than a week, trying not to hurt the boy or risk the wrath of the good doctor who would kill him if Nigel had harmed Aiden in their more passionate couplings. He let himself drink in the vision of Aiden almost sobbing for relief for a few moments; the boy cried so beautifully, and it always made him want to see more of it.

Thinking his boy had suffered enough, he roughly pulled Aiden’s legs back to straddle his hips again, Aiden having moved away from him after all his writhing. “Nigel, oh god, please—”

Nigel gave the almost delirious boy a wicked smile before he pressed another button on the toy to inflate the knot inside of Aiden.

“Nigel!” Aiden screamed, his blue eyes widening as he came, his toes curling and head thrown back in a pleasing arch and his entire body twitching from the force of his release. When he came down from his orgasm, Aiden was sobbing with relief, his body settling back onto the bed as Nigel crawled over the boy, kissing him slowly, his tears wiped away by Nigel’s hands wandering on his face.

“Aiden,” Nigel purred as he bestowed more kisses, swallowing Aiden’s moaning gasps, “my beautiful boy, you’re magnificent.” Nigel kept Aiden pinned beneath him, rutting his hips and his erection against the boy’s thighs as the boy’s sobs subsided.

“Nigel,” Aiden whimpered, his body too exhausted to move from where he was pinned bodily below Nigel rutting against him. “Thank you,” he sighed a lovely little creature that Nigel longed to tame.

Nigel chuckled, pecking Aiden on the lips before he drew back to a sitting position, caressing Aiden’s hips which were still straddling him. He gave Aiden a few minutes more to calm his breathing before he deflated the knotting toy out of Aiden, watching in heated desire as Aiden’s gaping hole clenched around nothing when the toy was removed from him. Aiden groaned, laughing a little as he closed his eyes and turned his cheek into the pillow beneath him, clearly sated after the two orgasms Nigel had wrought out of him.

Perhaps that was why Aiden didn’t see what Nigel had planned for him next, and he only gasped in surprise at the feel of Nigel’s cockhead stretching out his rim, pressing inexorably into him as Nigel held Aiden’s thighs in a tight grip, making sure Aiden couldn’t move away from him.

“Oh god, Nigel,” he whimpered, his eyes watering once more at the sensation of being filled on Nigel’s cock. He had been waiting so long to feel Nigel inside him again, to knot him, but he was so exhausted, his body lax and pliant, unable to do more other than take whatever Nigel was giving him.

Nigel chuckled darkly as he inched himself in, Aiden’s cock twitching as Nigel’s hips fell flushed with his, reaching the deepest part of him in a satisfying smack. “Darling, didn’t I promise that you won’t rest until I knot you?”

Aiden groaned, his legs bent where Nigel kept him wide open. He was still sore from taking the knotting toy, but Nigel’s cock inside him felt larger than the knot he had taken before this. “God, I’ve forgotten how big you are.”

Nigel grinned, thrusting slightly deeper into Aiden with a rocking motion, Aiden’s breathless gasps music to his ears. “The toy was practice, gorgeous. You’re getting the real thing now,” he said, beginning to move inside Aiden with deep thrusts. “Had to prepare you. I don’t want Andrei to kill me later.”

Aiden groaned with laughter, tortured as he was on Nigel’s sizable cock. “Way to kill the mood, saying someone else’s name when we’re in bed.”

Nigel growled at that, leaning down to sink his teeth into Aiden’s throat as he began to fuck into Aiden more forcefully, ignoring Aiden’s pleas for mercy. He had waited long enough to be inside Aiden again, and the feeling of finally entering that wet warmth again was enough to make his knot swell after a few thrusts, Aiden’s body welcoming him inside almost effortlessly after all the preparations Nigel had gone through.

Nigel continued his forceful thrusts into Aiden, uncaring of the boy’s pleasure for now as he finally sought for his own. Aiden’s eyes glazed over, his mouth gaping as he fought for breaths of air, his body pliant as he was impaled on Nigel’s cock, tears running down his cheeks from the overstimulation. Nigel loved seeing Aiden like this, overwrought with pleasure and pain in equal measures, his sadistic instinct wanting to take Aiden further over the edge.

Nigel’s mouth has gravitated down from Aiden’s throat to Aiden’s nipples now, Nigel taking a pert bud inside his mouth and biting down and tugging before he licked it with a messy kiss. He paid the same attention to the other nipple, Aiden’s tortured groans loud in the bedroom as he was toyed with, making Nigel want to bite deeper until he could taste blood on his tongue. Nigel’s hands were still holding Aiden’s legs spread apart for him, as the boy couldn’t muster the strength to hold himself up, but Nigel was content to use his mouth to lick his boy all over. Aiden tasted of tears and sweat, and Nigel could smell Aiden’s arousal rising again as he teased the younger man with his mouth.

By the time Nigel pulled back to admire his handiwork, he saw that Aiden had managed to get hard again, his cock bobbing with every thrust, still wet from his previous orgasms. Nigel purred, looking at how helpless Aiden was when he was overstimulated and yet still begging for more of Nigel’s touches. The boy’s refractory period was impressive even for his comparatively younger age.

“Nigel, oh god, I, ah, I feel so f-full,” Aiden groaned, his head turning aimlessly as he tried to get away from the overwhelming sensations. He was losing himself in Nigel’s rocking rhythm inside him, aware that he was getting hard again even as he whined from the myriad of sensations flooding his body.

“You like it, don’t you?” Nigel growled, nipping at Aiden’s throat once more, unable to resist tasting his lover, feeling Aiden’s erratic pulse.

“Yes,” Aiden sobbed. “I want to feel you in me, Nigel, please.”

“Please, what, darling?”

Aiden gasped and groaned as Nigel slowed down his thrusts to small movements inside him. He was so close to his release, whining as he tried to move his body to take Nigel deeper, but Nigel had held his hips still with a tighter grip now, Aiden sobbing with his unfulfilled desire to be knotted with Nigel. 

“ _Please_ ,” he keened, his voice shrill with need, tears spilling from his eyes as he clawed Nigel’s arms in his desperation. “Please knot me, Nigel, please.”

“As you wish, darling.”

With that, Nigel resumed his pounding into Aiden, Aiden’s body driven forward on the bed from the powerful movement as he fought to hold on to Nigel’s biceps, clinging to Nigel with all the strength he had left.

“Yes, oh god, don’t stop, Nigel, don’t you dare stop, you fu—”

Nigel kissed Aiden to shut him up, this time uncaring if he bit into Aiden’s mouth harder than necessary, his hips rolling against Aiden repeatedly as he felt his knot swelling with every pound into Aiden’s willing body.

With a few more strokes, Nigel felt his knot finally inflating inside Aiden, thrusting harder to force it past Aiden’s rim as he lodged himself inside Aiden’s heat, groaning in pleasure as he finally spilled inside Aiden. The boy had sobbed at Nigel’s increasingly erratic fucking and came for the third time that night, his orgasm dry, moaning as he felt Nigel’s knot swelling inside him, filling him with his seed. 

Nigel breathed loudly as he tried to catch his breath, sweat pouring down onto Aiden and glistening his skin. It almost made Nigel want to fuck him all over again, make him scream until he was hoarse with it. He had rarely felt a love as fierce as this, his ugly history of obsession rearing its head again as it did once with Gabi, before Gabi decided to go for a fucking human, and even worse, for someone like _Charlie_. (Even in his mind, Nigel spat out Charlie’s name with as much derision and venom as he could.)

Nigel had never understood the appeal of humans, most too weak to fend for themselves and deemed unworthy by most werewolves to be their companion.

But then he met Aiden.

Beautiful Aiden, with his sunny smile and his stubborn streak, delivered by providence onto Nigel’s lap like an offering, a delectable delicacy.

Groaning as he felt himself coming again in Aiden, Nigel shivered in pleasure as he crouched over the boy, enveloping his lithe body as he peppered the boy with kisses, Aiden still too out of it to fully respond.

Nigel saw the moment Aiden finally regained full awareness of his surroundings when he groaned in pain from the tugging of Nigel’s knot where they’re still connected. Nigel purred in contentment, knowing that Aiden couldn’t get away from him for a few more minutes at least as he nibbled on Aiden’s ear, throat, and shoulder in turn, making his boy shiver beneath him.

“Such a good boy, Aiden,” Nigel said, kissing Aiden as the boy laid blissfully under him, eyes closed in satisfaction at finally getting what he wanted. “You were so good, gorgeous, begging for my knot and taking it so beautifully.”

Aiden blinked lazily, his smile wide as he pulled Nigel closer to him, Nigel’s forehead resting against his as they breathed each other in. “Thank you, Nigel,” he whispered, and it sounded like a prayer for Nigel alone. 

Nigel stayed knotted inside Aiden for several minutes more before his knot deflated and he pulled away. He watched Aiden’s hole as he pulled out, rapt with attention and satisfaction at the rush of come spilling out of Aiden’s wet hole. “Next time, I want to buy a plug to make sure you can keep all this inside you.”

Aiden smirked, pushing himself up on his elbows and leaning against the pillows, his movement slow as he hissed in pain. “You’re such a dirty old man,” he huffed, settling his body down on the bed again, body still sore from the thorough fucking.

Nigel laughed, his fingers automatically guiding themselves to Aiden’s holes, pushing the globs of come back into Aiden with slow, measured strokes to make sure all of it fit inside Aiden. Aiden’s breath stuttered when Nigel’s fingers pressed on his prostate again, an undignified yelp coming out of his mouth before he could stop it.

“ _Nigel_ …”

Aiden only got a chuckle in response, but Nigel’s fingers retreated, apparently satisfied to see his come pushed back inside Aiden’s twitching hole. “Who’s the old man, kid? Here I am ready to fuck you into the bed again, and you’re tired from taking my knot, hmm?”

“Am not tired,” Aiden said groggily, nuzzling closer to Nigel to lay next to each other.

Nigel cupped Aiden’s face in his hands as he slowly kissed him, tongue exploring Aiden’s mouth leisurely as he pulled Aiden’s body to rest against his. “Go to sleep, gorgeous,” he said, stroking Aiden’s cheeks even as the boy’s eyes close, his breathing evening out as he fell asleep in Nigel’s arms.

Aiden woke up the next day groaning, his body feeling sore and weighted down by a warm body behind him. He blinked his eyes open slowly, taking deep breaths before trying to get out of bed to go to the bathroom. He was halfway up the bed before he felt hands tugging at him again before he fell back, Nigel flinging himself on top of Aiden to effectively trap him.

“Nigel,” Aiden groaned, laughing a bit at Nigel’s nuzzling. Nigel’s eyes were still closed, his hair mussed and all over the place, but his grip around Aiden never faltered even as Aiden tried to pry him away. “I need to go to the bathroom.”

“Later,” Nigel mumbled, his nuzzling turned into gentle bites at Aiden’s throats.

“Now,” Aiden insisted, “unless you want to deal with the mess later.”

Nigel growled, eyes finally opening as Aiden struggled to move away from under him. He relented though, getting up and stretching his limbs while Aiden quickly got up and made his way to the bathroom to relieve himself, lest Nigel changed his mind and trap him on the bed forever. Not that he minded, but needs precede wants at the moment.

Sighing with relief when he was done, Aiden began his morning ablutions. Or at least he tried to before Nigel came into the bathroom, coming up behind him and tugging him closer, laying kisses at Aiden’s throat as he ground his hardening cock against Aiden’s ass. “Who told you you could move away, darling?” His voice was still rough with sleep, but his intent was clear enough as he moved both of them into the shower, shutting down Aiden’s half-hearted protests by well-placed kisses and wandering hands.

“I thought I could go back to my apartment today,” Aiden said after an orgasm and a hearty breakfast later. They were cleaning up the dishes from their meal, Aiden busy with washing the plates while Nigel was putting everything back on the drying rack.

Nigel was silent for several minutes before Aiden heard him grunt. Passing Nigel the last of the dishes, Aiden dried his hands before he turned to look at Nigel directly.

“You said you’d check if it would be okay,” Aiden reminded him, eyebrows raising almost plaintively as he made eye contact with the other man.

“I did,” Nigel agreed. “The boys have been keeping an eye on it. Seems to be clear for now.”

Aiden’s shoulders sagged with relief, smiling up at Nigel as he tiptoed to give Nigel a quick peck on the lips. “So I can go?”

“So we can go,” Nigel corrected. “I’ll be coming with you.”

Aiden shrugged, his smile wide and happy as he moved to kiss Nigel more intimately, sighing as pulled away. “Can we go now? I’ve been itching to start drawing again.”

Nigel smiled, his hands brushing through Aiden’s curls as he pretended to consider. Both of them knew Nigel would relent one way or another, so it was no surprise when they made their way to Aiden’s apartment only half an hour later.

Aiden had requested to walk there to flush out his excited energy, and Nigel was only too happy to acquiesce just to see that smile widen in happiness. The walk there was pleasant, both of them making quiet observations of the sceneries and shop lots they passed by along the way.

They approached Aiden’s apartment complex forty minutes later, Aiden letting them both in using (another) new door key. Nigel had made sure the lock and key to the main entrance had been changed after Gabriel had made a surprise visit there previously, and this time around he kept the key with him before presenting it to Aiden once the boy had awakened from his coma in the previous weeks.

The apartment had been cleaned of any evidence of what had happened inside just weeks prior, Aiden looking around and examining his belongings with more scrutiny than it probably warranted. He was sure that Nigel had his men take care of everything after Gabriel had bled out to death here, but it didn’t hurt to make sure everything was as it should be.

Nigel had entered the apartment slowly, oddly cautious as he stepped in and let his gaze wander throughout Aiden’s private space.

The apartment had an open-space concept, with large window panels letting the light in, bathing the spacious studio with soft rays of sunlight. Aiden had preferred the large, open space and was ecstatic he had found this apartment when he first moved in. His bed was placed a few feet away from the large windows, while all his drawing supplies and artboard were placed across his bed. The place looked a little old, with its yellowing walls and all, but he liked the rustic charm the place had; plus the rent was cheap, considering.

Nigel had slowly gravitated towards Aiden’s artboard, looking over Aiden’s various artworks as Aiden squirmed on his feet. Aiden felt shy for a reason he couldn’t quite place, looking at Nigel taking it all in. He wanted to know what Nigel thought of his place, wanted the man’s approval for some reason.

Nigel had noticed Aiden’s scrutiny of him and smiled, a genuine fondness in his eyes. “You’ve got a nice place,” he said, grinning. “Suits you.”

Aiden grinned back, satisfied with the praise. “Thank you. It’s one of my safe places when I first found myself in Bucharest.”

Nigel smiled at that, though the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes this time around. “How did you find Bucharest?”

Aiden shrugged, considering how best to answer that. He took a seat at one of the window panels adjacent to his bed, the nook big enough to fit both of them comfortably as Nigel sat across him.

“It was… different. I was born and bred in Maryland, so coming here was an adjustment. I was young when I decided to move here, and I just thought that moving somewhere completely different and somewhere I’ve never even heard of sounded like the best idea ever, a romantic notion.” Aiden let out a self-deprecating laugh at that. “It paid off, though. I fell in love with the city. I had fun getting to know everyone in this neighborhood, visiting all the coffee shops and patisseries, visiting all the museums and churches I could find. I even found a freelancing job afterward. It didn’t pay much, but I managed to get by from all the money I’d kept from when I was 15, working part-time as much as I could. I finally felt like I had a place for myself. And then I met Vivian, and I knew that I’d made the right decision.”

There was a comfortable silence for several long moments, both of them taking the view out of the windows to the streets below them. Aiden’s apartment was situated on the seventh floor, giving them a clear view of the skyline and other buildings surrounding the area. It wasn’t the most perfect neighborhood, but Aiden thought it had character, and it was around his budget while he was desperate to move in. He had been so happy to move away from his house in Maryland, his father, and his unhappy childhood.

Nigel was silent for a while, Aiden happy enough to let the silence grow as he looked out the windows. The sun was out, and he could see people milling about from the unobstructed view of the streets below them. It was just another day for everyone, and for once Aiden could say the same for him.

“Did you run away from Maryland?”

Aiden nodded. “As soon as I turned 18. I’d saved up enough after working for four years to get a one-way ticket out of that hellhole. It was liberating.”

“Good for you, kid. Wish I had that kind of nerve when I was your age to get out of mine.”

Aiden stared at Nigel’s profile for a while, the other man looking lost in thought. “But then I wouldn’t have met you,” he said, soft enough for Nigel to hear.

Nigel turned to look back at him, his mouth curled up in a small smile. “What a shame that would be.”

Aiden grinned, sitting up for a bit before getting up. “Stay there,” he told Nigel, the other man blinking slowly as he watches Aiden rummaging around for his art supplies. Aiden took his sketching pad and charcoal pencil and made his way to the bed, looking up at Nigel sitting by the window still, his expression curious.

“I want to draw you,” Aiden explained, smiling a bit before he returned to his sketchpad. He framed the idea of his sketch in his mind before he set to work, the soft scratches of charcoal against the sketchpad and their own even breathing the only sounds surrounding them for a while. 

Aiden looked up occasionally as he sketched Nigel, brows furrowed intently as he captured Nigel’s likeness, the man leaning back against the wall framing the windows, his profile silhouetted against the backdrop of the town behind him. Aiden was vaguely aware of Nigel humming a little to himself as he worked, the sound soothing and comforting.

When Aiden finished his sketch, he proudly showed it off to Nigel as he approached him by the windows. “I don’t have a photo of you, but I think that'll do.”

Nigel only chuckled at that, taking the sketchbook in hand as he ran his fingers over the sketch. “I think you have an entirely different picture of me in your mind than what I really am, kid,” he said softly, tone almost wistful as he gazed at the sketch before handing it back to Aiden.

Aiden frowned a little, putting his sketchbook away before he made his way back to Nigel’s perch at the window, inserting himself between Nigel’s legs as he looked down at the man. “Why don’t you let me know what I’m thinking of then?”

Nigel let out a humorless laugh. “You know I’m a werewolf who’s packless. Someone who chose to turn away from it because I hated the rules. You know I have an underground business and a perfect cover for it. Darko has basically been running the show after Gabi left, but I’m still in the loop and I still call the final shots. You know I’ll kill anyone who touches you, other than me. That’s all you know of me, kid.”

Aiden’s frown deepened into a scowl, glaring a little at Nigel’s self-deprecating mood. He pulled Nigel to stand and walk to the bed beside them, Aiden laying down sideways and patting at the space next to him, inviting. Nigel hesitated for only a moment before he crawled onto the bed and settled next to him, facing Aiden almost cautiously.

“Then tell me what else I need to know,” Aiden whispered, laying his hand over Nigel’s cheek as he stared into the man’s eyes.

Nigel sighed, closing his eyes as Aiden started to caress his cheek. “I met Gabi when we were young and we hit it off. We saw each other for a few months before we got hitched, young love and all that. Same old boring shit that happened to everyone else, except we got married and were mated at a young age.

“We’re both a little more rebellious than the typical wolves. I hated the structure, but I didn’t really know any other alternative. Same with Gabi. She had a bright future though; she was a fucking brilliant cellist. Got a job at one of those fancy opera houses where they make you wear a penguin suit, and I never missed a show. Meanwhile, I’m out there trying to find a job, and I was aimless. I just wanted to do something, so I got a job as a bouncer at one of the clubs Gabi and I used to go to. Met Darko. Climbed our way up, and somehow took over the whole thing after a decade or so. Things… got bad with the club, and I was growing an addiction. None of us cared at the time, but I could tell Gabi was getting tired after a while. I think her father dying was her breaking point.

“But then she met fucking _Charlie_.” Nigel’s voice had been flat as he spoke, but he growled as he uttered the name. “That fucking runt somehow caught her eye, and they ran away together after Gabi tried to put a fucking silver bullet in me.”

Aiden’s hand stopped caressing Nigel, choosing to hold Nigel’s hand in his instead while he listened to Nigel talk, their eyes never straying away from one another. His grip tightened on Nigel’s hand as he recounted Gabi’s betrayal. Nigel’s voice was hushed once more as he calmed down, though the fire in his eyes told another story.

“We were fucking mated, but she chose to leave it all behind for that pathetic excuse of a human,” Nigel said, eyes blazing even while his voice was even. “So I left the pack too. Because what was the fucking point of having your pack and being mated to a wolf if the bond’s so easily broken? I told you I was packless by choice, but I lied. I’m a fucking coward. I ran away from everything after Gabi tore my fucking heart out.”

Nigel’s throat worked at that. “I’m not a saint. I’ve killed people, hurt them. I know I wasn’t the best mate or even a good husband to Gabi, though I never fucking hurt her, only the fuckers who dared to touch her. But by then I guess the drugs got to me, and she fucking had it with werewolves too and decided to cut ties.”

Aiden’s breathing was even as he listened to Nigel, eyes watering at the raw hurt and honesty in Nigel’s voice. He had known that there were hidden depths to the darkness inside Nigel, but he didn’t expect Nigel to let him in so easily.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

Nigel snorted. “It wasn’t your fault, kid, just mine. I fucked up. I deserved what I got. Call it karmic retribution, or some kind of divine punishment from the Loups-Garoux. Sometimes I still think about hunting both of them down, kill them both for what they did.”

“Is that what your gun was for? The night you saved me?”

“It was. Never got to use it on them. Came to my fucking senses. And then I fucking met you.”

Aiden smiled, scooting closer to Nigel as he brushed his own tears away, kissing him softly. “Thank you, Nigel, for telling me. You might be the bad man from Bucharest, but you’re _my_ bad man."

Nigel let out a startled laugh. “Fuck, gorgeous, you’re such a fucking romantic, aren’t you?” He deepened the kiss between them, his tongue pressing insistently in as Aiden moaned and opened his mouth to the invasion. “Do you want to know the worst part of this bad man?”

“Hmm, what?”

Nigel flipped his body to cover Aiden, continuing his kisses down Aiden’s throat, biting into the soft flesh as Aiden held him closer.

“I want to fucking keep you with me all the time, Aiden,” Nigel growled into Aiden’s skin, “I want to mark you so fucking deep inside of you and all over your body so that everyone knows you’re fucking mine. I want to keep you in bed all day, chain you to it, put a collar on you, and put you on a fucking leash so you could never, ever stray out where I can’t see you. There won’t be anywhere you can go without me following you. I’ll be your fucking shadow until death do us fucking part.”

Aiden gasped at the words, Nigel’s possessive tone setting his body on fire as they rutted against each other. “Oh god, yes,” he groaned, his hands gripping at Nigel’s shirt as he struggled to lift it off of him. “I want that, Nigel, fuck—”

Nigel only growled harder, lifting himself so he could undress Aiden as fast as he could before he stripped out of his own clothes, his cock already hard and wet with pre-come as he looked down at the vision before him.

“On your hand and knees, darling,” he snarled, eyes hungry as Aiden repositioned and arranged himself to Nigel’s liking. Nigel didn’t waste any time, surprising Aiden when he felt Nigel’s tongue at his rim, licking into his entrance with impatience.

“Nigel!” Aiden breathed out, eyes shut in pleasure as Nigel began to thrust his tongue inside him, eating him out almost enthusiastically as Aiden writhed and moaned before him. Nigel’s hand had also found Aiden’s cock, stroking his length in time with his thrust, driving Aiden to madness as he was being opened up for Nigel.

Aiden couldn’t keep track of the time, not knowing how long Nigel had worked him open before he felt Nigel’s cockhead nudging at him, groaning as he felt Nigel slowly breach him as he did last night. “Yes,” he hissed, ecstatic at the return of the pressure inside him, robbing him of his breath. His head fell onto his arms, his hips pushing back against Nigel, letting Nigel push into him a little deeper.

“God, you always feel so fucking perfect for me, gorgeous,” Nigel said, both of them catching their breath as Nigel’s cock felt fully embedded inside Aiden’s quivering body.

“Nigel, just fuck me already,” Aiden said between breathless laughter.

Nigel didn’t deign to respond to the request, but he did start to thrust roughly into Aiden, the boy gasping from the impact as he was impaled again and again. His body was shaking as he fought to keep his hips up for Nigel to fuck into, his curls damp against his forehead as sweat dripped onto his arms and the bedspread.

Nigel purred at hearing Aiden’s wanton noises of pleasure, his hips smacking with Aiden’s in satisfying smacks as he lost himself inside the boy. Aiden felt exquisite, his warm channel gripping Nigel so tightly as he fucked into him ruthlessly. Nigel took pity on him, laying himself over Aiden and wrapping his hand around Aiden’s cock. He started to stroke Aiden’s cock in time with his thrust, Aiden letting out a high keening sound at the touch.

Nigel always loved to hear the symphony of Aiden’s moans and gasps, each whine, each stuttered breath and keening sounds a pleasure to draw out as he fucked and stroked his boy to completion. Aiden let out a weak whimper as he came messily over Nigel’s hands, Nigel stroking his cock until he’s gone soft, eliciting more weak whimpers from the beautiful boy. Once satisfied that he’s milked Aiden completely, he brought his messy hand to Aiden’s face, crooking his fingers and Aiden’s come into Aiden’s mouth as the boy moaned around his digits.

Aiden licked Nigel’s fingers clean and sighed when Nigel took his fingers out of his mouth. “You haven’t knotted me yet,” Aiden whispered, struggling to turn his face to see Nigel out of the corner of his eyes.

“Don’t worry darling, it’s not over yet,” Nigel said, grinning wickedly as he pulled Aiden’s body closer to him, crossing his arm against Aiden’s chest and stomach and bringing them both to a sitting position.

“ _Oh_.” Aiden could only let out a soft exhale as he felt how deeply impaled he was on Nigel’s cock, Nigel twitching and throbbing inside him. They had never done this in this position, and Aiden felt stuffed full as Nigel began to slowly thrust into him, drawing out more gasps out of Aiden at the overstimulation and the deeper thrusts.

“How does it feel, darling?” Nigel growled in his ears, his thrusts reaching deep inside of Aiden as he’s pinned on Nigel’s cock. “Does it feel good to take my cock so deep inside you? To know that no one else will be able to do this to you, to hear you make your filthy sounds as you’re taken again and again?”

“Yes,” Aiden managed to gasp, his hands settling on Nigel’s where they grasped him. “It feels good.” He couldn’t help the sounds he was making as Nigel continued to fuck into him, his orgasm making his body lax and pliant.

“Werewolves mate for life, Aiden,” Nigel continued, licking at Aiden’s throat. Nigel’s hand unfurled from Aiden’s chest and tugged at Aiden’s curls instead, yanking Aiden’s head aside to bare more of Aiden’s throat to him. “And you’re _mine_.”

Aiden screamed as Nigel sank his teeth into his throat, puncturing the soft skin beneath it as blood poured out from the wound, Nigel’s knot inflating inside him as Nigel came and came into him.

Aiden’s strangled scream turned into weak whimpers as he felt Nigel’s knot lodged inside of him, filling him with more of Nigel’s seed. Nigel had finally stilled his hips, paying his attention to Aiden’s throat instead, licking at the wound and kissing at the indelible mark.

“Beautiful boy,” Nigel murmured as he kissed against the mark one final time. He tugged Aiden’s face closer and kissed him reverently, licking into Aiden’s mouth as Aiden sobbed against him. “You’re mine, and I’m yours in turn,” he purred, gently pulling their bodies down onto the bed, careful to avoid tugging at the knot still tying them together.

“Good,” Aiden said, wishing he could purr in response to Nigel, his body still trembling in shock after the earth-shattering orgasm. His throat felt painful, the wound stinging slightly, but his tears were tears of happiness, having been claimed so thoroughly by the man who’s still deep inside him. Nigel had clawed his way deep inside of Aiden, marking him in ways that no one else ever could. And he was glad for it.

They both drifted into a nap for likely a few hours before Aiden awakened again to the feeling of Nigel mauling his throat. Well, it felt like a mauling, but in truth Nigel was biting, licking and kissing at it in turn, clearly pleased at the mark he’d left on Aiden, and seemingly wanting to make it permanent.

“You’re gonna bite my head off,” Aiden grumbled without heat.

Nigel hummed, contentment clear in his voice as he moved Aiden’s face towards him for a deep kiss. Aiden reciprocated the kiss, closing his eyes in joy before he felt Nigel’s hardened cock brush against his ass.

He pulled apart, cheeks reddening, glaring at Nigel. “Oh my god, really?”

Nigel laughed, pulling him in for another kiss and restraining Aiden with his hands to keep him from moving away. “You’re just too irresistible, gorgeous,” he said, nipping at Aiden’s lips. He had guided his cockhead to Aiden’s entrance, ignoring Aiden’s weak protests as he entered inside him once more.

“I swear you’ll be the death of me,” Aiden said in between thrusts, groaning as he felt himself hardening in response.

Nigel chuckled, mouth gravitating back towards his mark on Aiden’s throat even as he kept his measured thrusts inside Aiden. “Darling, just wait until I’m in rut, then I’ll really kill you.”

Aiden’s sobs of pleasures were all that Nigel focused on after that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I'll be honest, this chapter was just an excuse for some smut of these two.


	4. indelible

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nigel’s rut finally hits, and Aiden’s on hand to help him through it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops my fingers slipped and I somehow wrote more smut with these two (thank you Rainy for the inspiration of that chase scene!)

If anyone had told him that the start of his second decade on this Earth would be full of werewolves, Aiden would’ve told them to take up another job other than being a hack at fortune-telling. As it was, life had a way of dealing him with unexpected curveballs these days, so maybe even fortune-tellers have their merits sometimes.

Aiden woke up these days to the feeling of Nigel beside him, the warmth emanating from the older man a comforting feeling. There were days when he found himself engulfed in fur when he woke up; he knew that those were the days where his nightmares had spilled over into the real world and Nigel had taken it upon himself to comfort him through the unconventional approach. It proved to be effective since Aiden didn't remember much from his nightmares whenever he woke up. Waking up with fur in his mouth didn’t seem like such a bad thing when he felt so rested and pleased afterward.

Nigel had managed to persuade him to move in after they had basically bonded—for lack of a better word—a few weeks back, Nigel’s apartment more than enough to house the two of them. Aiden was only too happy to be persuaded, though he also managed to convince Nigel in turn that his own apartment should still be there for his own personal use, especially when he needed to work on his graphic novels. It was easier to work on his “comics” (as Nigel teasingly called them) when Nigel wasn't around to distract him with more… enticing activities.

He found that he didn’t mind living with Nigel, after months of knowing him so intimately in the metaphorical sense and the more carnal sense. Nigel wasn’t around much during the day now that he had gone back to his “business dealings” with Darko now that Aiden had fully recovered from the events of the past few months. He liked that they have their own lives during the day, but that they were also almost inseparable in the evenings when Nigel came back from work.

Dinners were always a pleasant affair, and sometimes Nigel surprised him with desserts or coffee – sometimes both – but slinking into bed together after a tiring day was always the highlight of Aiden’s day. He liked to slide close to Nigel and wrap his arms around the other man, his furry chest tickling his face. Nigel was always similarly pleased by it, and sometimes they fell asleep just like that, entangled in each other’s arms.

If this was what life was going to deal him with for the rest of his life, Aiden couldn’t really say he minded it all that much.

“Okay, gorgeous, I have a surprise for you. Sort of.”

Aiden raised his eyebrows at the opening statement. They were lounging around in bed, Nigel having finally sated himself inside Aiden that night. “Doesn’t sound so encouraging when you put it like that,” Aiden said, smiling up at Nigel through sleepy eyes.

“It’s a good surprise,” Nigel promised. “I heard through the grapevine that your friend is coming back soon.”

Aiden’s eyes widened, propping himself up on his elbow to gaze at Nigel. “Vivian? Really? Where did you hear that from?”

“We got our own networks,” Nigel huffed, smiling. “Seems like Gabriel’s pack was getting restless with no one to basically take charge.”

“Huh,” Aiden breathed out, settling back onto the bed. “I didn’t think the pack would be okay with her taking over. But I’m not surprised if she managed to talk them into it. She was always so charismatic, even if she never used it for her own gains.”

Nigel hummed. “She sounds like a firecracker, all right, from what I’ve heard.”

Aiden laughed, shaking his head a little. “Yeah, you won’t be able to stop her once she puts her mind to something. I’m glad she’s coming back. Wish I could meet up with her.”

“Well, that’s the other part of the surprise,” Nigel said wryly, meeting Aiden’s eyes. “She called me through one of Darko’s men, demanding that I let her see you. As if I’m the one who kept you captive here or something.”

“Sorry about that,” Aiden grinned, though he’s anything but sorry. “I guess she didn’t really know where to find me after I moved in.”

“You should get a cellphone,” Nigel grumbled. “Would make it easier for me to find you.”

“Where else would I be?” Aiden rolled his eyes. “I’m either at my apartment or here. It’s not like we need to add sexting to the list of all the lewd things you can do to me.”

“Hmmm, sounds tempting, though I’d still rather have you in the flesh,” Nigel said, nipping lightly on Aiden’s lips at the words. “Do you want one, though? I can probably spare one of mine.”

Aiden shrugged, returning Nigel’s light kisses. “Don’t really see a need for it.”

“It’d make me feel better to know I can contact you when we’re apart.”

“Didn’t take you for a sap.”

“Only when it comes to you, gorgeous. It’s just a phone.”

“By all means, get me one, then. Don’t expect me to use it that much, though.”

“As long as you keep it on you,” Nigel agreed, grinning at Aiden’s easy acquiescence. “And make sure it’s charged.”

“Oh my God, stop nagging. Fine, I’ll keep it charged and keep it on me at all times. Happy?”

“Very,” Nigel purred.

“So, did Vivian say when she’s coming?”

“I dunno, I guess you can use your new phone to ask her tomorrow.”

Aiden laughed and burrowed himself closer to Nigel’s side, his eyes already heavy with sleep. “Okay, smartass, thanks for the useless tip.”

“You’re welcome,” Nigel responded before molding himself to fit Aiden snugly against him, both of them falling asleep in mere moments.

It took Nigel less than twelve hours to bring Aiden a new phone, which was equipped with only three numbers: Nigel’s, Darko’s, and Vivian’s. It took Vivian only minutes to contact him once Aiden sent a simple message to her, letting her know that it was him.

Aiden smiled as the phone lit up when Vivian called him and answered it immediately. “Hey, you.”

“Aiden, hi!” Vivian laughed, sounding overjoyed and relieved at finally hearing his voice again after a few weeks. “Guess what?”

“You’re coming back?”

Vivian groaned. “Did Nigel tell you already?”

Aiden snorted, shaking his head “Said something about you threatening him if he doesn’t let you see me, and then he told me the news. Can’t say I’m surprised, but I’m glad to hear you’re coming back.”

Vivian hummed, the topic of Nigel forgotten for a moment. “Yeah, I had to sort out a few things with my aunt while we were away, and then we had to basically regroup ourselves with the people we knew we could trust. It wasn’t easy, since most of them still blamed me for Gabriel’s death.” Aiden could almost see Vivian’s shrug even if she was worlds away, and he smiled at the image, realizing with a pang that he missed Vivian. “But I think we’re getting there. So we’re coming back, and hopefully for good.”

“That’s great news,” Aiden said enthusiastically. “You’ll be staying at your aunt’s?”

“Yeah, we’ve upgraded the security after what's happened,” Vivian replied sardonically. “I’ll be coming back in two more days, actually. What do you say? Feel like catching up?”

“Always,” Aiden responded, smiling. “Let me know when and where.”

“Sure, I’ll call you later okay, I need to go. See you, Aiden!”

Aiden hung up with a smile on his face, pleased at the thought of meeting Vivian after their less than favorable way of separating months ago. She sounded as if she had the world waiting at her feet, and it made him hopeful for some change if Vivian was the one to head the Loup-Garoux in Gabriel’s stead.

The thought of Gabriel hadn’t haunted him for weeks now, and Aiden found it easier and easier to forget about the former alpha’s wrongdoings and the outcomes following their confrontation. He, of course, couldn’t forgive Gabriel just yet, and he was still proud of the fact that he managed to kill the werewolf in retribution. With Nigel (and Darko by extension) by his side, he felt confident enough to walk from Nigel’s place to his studio apartment without any escort these days, though he had a feeling that Nigel probably sent someone to shadow him anyway. Still, he appreciated the thought, even if some werewolf shadowing him didn't exactly make him happy. 

In any case, he did end up telling Nigel that he and Vivian had made plans to meet up at one of the cafes they had previously frequented back when they were still dating. Nigel had seemed accepting of it all, giving Aiden a hug and a kiss before they separated for the day, Nigel driving away with Darko and Aiden making his way to the café on foot. He liked walking around Bucharest, even before he had met Vivian and Nigel. There was always some peace to be found when he walked along the streets, gazing around at nothing and everything at once while he soaked in the atmosphere he loved so much. It reminded him of the first time he explored what Bucharest had to offer when he first came to the city, while he was still running away from his past back then.

After thirty minutes of walking, Aiden found himself standing in front of the familiar café, immediately spotting Vivian who was sitting at one of the tables along the street, her back turned towards him. He smiled and made his way to her, not surprised when she seemed to sense him approaching.

“Hi, Vivian,” Aiden said, grinning when Vivian got up from her seat to envelope him in a fierce hug.

“Hey,” Vivian whispered, burying her face in his neck. She frowned after a few seconds, however, leaning away slightly from Aiden while wrinkling her nose. “You stink.”

“What?” Aiden laughed. “This is all I get after months of not seeing you?”

Vivian grinned, shaking her head and taking her seat when Aiden does the same. “Sorry. I should’ve clarified. You stink of some other werewolf,” she said, clearly disliking the smell on Aiden for some reason.

Aiden’s brow furrowed at that. He tried to surreptitiously sniff his own scent on his shirt; it just smelled mildly of sweat from the walk he just had, and there wasn’t anything else that’s noticeable to him otherwise. “Really? Who do I smell like?”

Vivian rolled her eyes. “I have a feeling it’s that werewolf of yours,” she said, snickering. “You should really tell him to stop scent-marking you – or do it in a less obvious way, at least.”

“You mean I smell of Nigel?” Aiden’s eyebrows shot up at that. “Why?”

“Why don’t you ask him?” she asked, her tone wry. “I have a feeling he’s marking his territory. Afraid I’d be trespassing, I guess.”

Aiden scoffed. “Really? Werewolves do that?” So that was why Nigel had been so persistent with his hug this morning.

Vivian shrugged. “Not so _obviously_ , no. But I guess he feels threatened by me, now that I’m coming back for my turf.”

“You’re not gonna fight him or anything like that, right?” Aiden asked, worried for a few seconds. “I don’t think he’s looking for any turf wars…”

“No, nothing like that,” Vivian clarified, shaking her head. “I don’t know, he’s technically packless, right? Although I see him running around a lot with that Darko guy. The whole thing just looks like a shady business, but he sure has a lot of werewolves around him even though he claimed that he doesn’t have a pack.”

That was news to Aiden. Not exactly an unwelcome one, though he found that he’s less surprised at Vivian’s statement than he would’ve thought. He hadn’t really asked for any details on Nigel and Darko’s seedy businesses, but he knew that Darko wasn’t the only werewolf running around with Nigel.

“I don’t think he’s interested in a proper pack,” Aiden said, shaking the thoughts from his mind. “Not like the ones Gabriel used to rule, anyway.”

Vivian’s nose wrinkled in distaste. “Yeah, I didn’t really like the way this whole thing went down, either. I don’t know. I came back here to basically rehaul everything, the way this whole ‘pack’ thing has been going on has been so archaic, but it hasn’t been easy. I’m still rounding up all my supporters but so many of the older werewolves aren’t too happy about abandoning their older traditions. Aunt Astrid has been extremely helpful after… well, after everything that’s happened.”

Aiden nodded, staring at Vivian while she was talking. She had always been so radiant while she talked about the things she was passionate about, and it made him happy to see the fire burning in her still. “That sounds great, though I get why it’d be daunting. I’m glad you’re coming back here for good.”

Vivian threw him a sad smile. “I’m sorry I couldn’t come back earlier. How have you been?”

“Can’t complain, honestly,” he replied, shrugging. “Not really much to say. I’m still here, despite everything. I can’t quite leave Bucharest, even after what’s happened.”

They were silent for a few minutes, Vivian staring at her cooling coffee while Aiden stared at her.

“Well,” Vivian said after a while. “I can’t say I blame you. It’s still a beautiful city, no? Found any new churches to break into lately?”

Aiden grinned and shook his head. “I’ve been entering the ones that weren’t closed to the public. Easier to get into since we didn’t have to sneak around.”

Vivian smirked at the reminder of the things they used to get up to. “How’s your Nigel treating you?” Her eyes were trained on his neck, and it took Aiden a few seconds before he realized that she’s staring at the mark Nigel had bit into his skin rather savagely when they mated.

He felt himself flushing in discomfort, though he forced himself to look at her. “It’s… well, it’s going well.”

“Guess it’s easier for him to claim you since he’s packless and all,” Vivian said almost wistfully, though she looked away from Aiden while she said it. “I guess things would have been different if I didn’t have all this ‘legacy’ stuff basically thrown in my face.”

“You should be proud of your legacy, and that you have a hand in changing things for the better,” Aiden said. He took Vivian’s hand in his and squeezed. “Maybe things could’ve worked out differently. But… well, I think you have your whole life ahead of you and your pack to think about now. I won’t say that what happened was for the best because it could’ve been avoided if Gabriel hadn’t been an asshole, but… I guess things happen for a reason.”

Vivian gazed at their hands for several seconds before she nodded. “I guess. I don’t know. There’s a lot of things for me to think of right now. And a lot of responsibilities to take up. I just don’t know if I’m ready for it. The whole thing still feels surreal. I had half a mind to just leave everything behind, you know? We almost made a run for it to America because I felt so guilty that I’ve let you down. And then we heard that Gabriel died, and… well, that changed a lot of things for me and Aunt Astrid. It was… liberating as much as it felt like a calling that chained me down sometimes.”

Aiden swallowed harshly, squeezing Vivian’s hand again. “You were never responsible for what happened, Vivian. Gabriel and the rest of his pack were, and they sure paid for it.”

“I know,” Vivian said, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. She blinked it away and held his gaze. “I’m glad you killed Gabriel, Aiden. I know I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again. Thank you. I think it’s a great time for things to change, and I’m glad that I’ll be here to steer it all in the right direction. I think it’s high time someone should do something about the pack.”

Aiden smiled at Vivian, marveling at her resilience and courage. Despite all of the things that came out of their relationship, he was grateful that he had met her when he did. Maybe he was being romantic when he thought he wouldn’t change any single thing that happened to him if it meant the outcome was that he met Vivian and Nigel because of it.

They stayed at the café for a few hours, ordering a light brunch that turned into lunch when it became apparent that they had a lot of things to catch up on still. Aiden was gratified to know that he and Vivian would always stay friends, and it seemed like Vivian needed someone to unburden her worries on.

Lunch only ended when Vivian was called away on some sort of business or other by Astrid, and they reluctantly said their goodbyes, making promises to meet each other again soon whenever Vivian was free. Vivian was probably going to be busy with trying to take over her rightful place as the Loup-Garoux alpha, and he felt wistfully proud of her.

Before parting ways, Vivian gave Aiden a fierce hug which Aiden returned in kind, both of them letting out their pent-up emotions with each other. He didn’t know how long they embraced for, but by the time he pulled away, Vivian had rubbed the tears out of her eyes before smiling at him.

“Mind giving me a farewell kiss?” Vivian asked cheekily, grinning at him.

Aiden returned her grin with an amused laugh, shaking his head. “For old time’s sake? Sure, why not.”

Vivian beamed at him then, pulling him for another embrace and kissing him for a few seconds, both of them smiling into it. Breaking apart was easy, but there was a lingering sadness to it now; it felt a lot like letting go, which was ridiculous considering the fact that they had unofficially broken their relationship off a while ago.

“Thanks for humoring me,” Vivian murmured. She pulled away reluctantly, rubbing her hands on Aiden’s arms and squeezing them before she broke apart from him completely. “Call me whenever you need me, Aiden. I owe you that much.”

“You don’t owe me anything,” he retorted. “You’re free to call me whenever, you know that.”

Vivian smiled then, the shy and reluctant smile that she always seemed to reserve for him. “I’ll hold you to that, then. I’m going to be busy for the next couple of weeks, but I’ll always make time for you, wolf-boy.”

“That an honorary title or something? Am I in a special wolf-club now?”

“Well, considering you’re exclusively dating werewolves these days, I’d say you’re part of the pack now,” Vivian said, grinning. Her phone chimed in and interrupted their conversation, and she gave him an apologetic look as she turned away already. “Okay, I really gotta go, I’ll see you around, Aiden!”

“See you when I see you!” he shouted to her retreating back, smiling fondly at her. It was heartening to see Vivian so full of spirit after what had happened to her and Astrid. Aiden was slightly selfish to see her so happy since it was easier to let go of their past relationship that way, and he was also selfishly grateful that it seemed they would be able to stay friends.

Having nothing else to do for the rest of the day, Aiden decided to take out his sketchbook while he roamed the city he loved, his mind turning over the various vantage points which he had yet to fully discover and letting his feet take him where they might lead him for the day.

He finally made his way back to their apartment (he had taken to thinking of it in that terms for the past few days now) when the sun had set low on the horizon and he had filled his sketchbooks with drawings of the cityscapes and, surprisingly enough, Vivian and Nigel’s portraits.

The apartment was already filled with the smell of dinner cooking quietly on the stove, and Aiden realized he was hungry when he entered the kitchen and sniffed around the area. Nigel threw him a fond, exasperated look when Aiden lifted the lid to the soup that was boiling on the stove and sticking a spoon in for a taste.

“Had fun today?” Nigel asked from where he was standing in the kitchen, taking out some of the bowls for their use.

Aiden hummed noncommittally, licking his lips to chase the taste of the soup. “It was nice. I didn’t go to my apartment today. Took a stroll around the area and sketched there instead.”

Nigel smiled and made his way to the kitchen counter to start plating their dinner. “Mind serving that?” he asked Aiden, gesturing to the simmering pot of soup. “Just soup and bread for tonight.”

“Sure.” Aiden ladled the soup into the bowls that Nigel had put aside nearby, enjoying the smell wafting up into the air. “Anything interesting happened with Darko and your boys today?” he asked once they had settled in for dinner.

“More or less the same shit I deal with every week,” Nigel said with a roll of his eyes. “Nothing to interest you, I’m sure.”

“When you say the ‘same shit’, I never know if you’re referring to Darko or just your business,” Aiden chuckled, taking a piece of bread and dunking it into the hot soup.

“Always assume that whenever there’s some shit emerging that Darko is somehow behind it,” Nigel muttered darkly. “Though I can’t blame him. The new kids just aren’t settling in as well as they should. They don’t make ‘em like they used to.”

Aiden laughed. “You sound so old when you talk like that.”

“Careful, darling. You might be biting off more than you can chew with that statement,” Nigel drawled, letting some of the heat creep into his voice when he stared at Aiden with dark intent.

Aiden flushed at the coyness in Nigel’s tone, though he pretended that he’s unfazed by it by eating more of his dinner. “Just saying it like it is,” he said with a bravado that he didn't feel, his heart always beating fast when Nigel watched him like he wanted to eat him alive.

Nigel shook his head, breaking their intense eye contact with a rueful chuckle. “Finish your dinner, gorgeous, I don’t want to waste all that time preparing it just for you to make me ignore it.”

He warmed at the thought of distracting Nigel so completely that he can induce the other man into foregoing dinner altogether, though he kept that thought to himself while he finished the rest of his meal silently, smiling softly to himself.

When dinner was over, both of them began to put away the dishes in the same way they always do after every meal. It was funny to think of them being so synchronized in their ways now when the fact of the matter was that they have only met each other for several months. Regardless, Aiden felt so comfortable with the thought of being so… _domestic_ with someone like Nigel, considering their many differences. What his old man would think of his situation now, he would never (thankfully) know.

He was lost in his thoughts for a while after dinner, letting Nigel know that he was going to bed early since he was so distracted with thoughts of his past relationship with Vivian and his current relationship with another werewolf whom he would never have met if it weren’t for his associations with Vivian.

Nigel made his presence known in the bedroom with his heavy footsteps, and by then Aiden had made himself comfortable on the bed while waiting for the other man to join him. When Nigel finally slid into bed next to him, Aiden slid over to the other side of the bed to make some space for him.

He wasn’t expecting Nigel to pull him back to the center of the bed, and while he wouldn’t have resisted, he did raise his eyebrows in a silent question. The answer was quick to follow, Nigel giving him a deep kiss as he settled himself on top of Aiden, grinding their bodies in slow, measured movements.

Aiden melted into the kiss, his arms winding around Nigel’s shoulders to pull him closer. He’s a little surprised when Nigel pulled away after a few minutes, the man sitting up with an inscrutable look on his face. If Aiden had to catalog it, he would say that Nigel was annoyed with him somehow. It would be a rare occasion, indeed, since he had never seen Nigel with that kind of expression before.

“Something wrong?” Aiden murmured, blinking up at Nigel in confusion.

“Did she… do anything to you?”

Blinking more rapidly, he was trying to parse the question when he realized that Nigel must be talking about Vivian. “You mean Vivian? No? Why would you say that?” he said with a little laugh.

Nigel looked a bit sheepish, though the frown was still on his face. “You smell like her.”

Aiden laughed louder. “Oh my God, do all werewolves have a thing with scent-marking me or something?” He shook his head ruefully before he remembered his earlier kiss with the other werewolf in his life. “Oh. She might have hugged me and… we might have kissed. Like once. In the interest of being honest.”

Nigel’s eyes narrowed at that, leaning closer to Aiden and effectively trapping him on the bed. “Did you now?”

Aiden licked his lips nervously, noting the way Nigel tracked the movement with his dark eyes. “Um. It was a farewell kiss. We did date for a while…” his words trailed off into the silence, and he felt immeasurably guilty, though to be honest he couldn’t see what the big deal was since it was – all in all – a pretty chaste kiss in comparison to what he and Nigel usually got up to these days.

“It was nothing,” he continued to assure Nigel, placing his hands on Nigel’s flanks in a placating movement. “We kissed for like one second and said our goodbyes. And then I took a stroll _alone_.”

The jealousy in Nigel’s eyes were still apparent, and one of Nigel’s hands had gravitated to Aiden’s jaw before he forced Aiden to hold still, unable to avert his gaze. He wasn’t frightened of Nigel, not usually, but there was something dark lurking in his eyes that he wasn’t sure he could make sense of, and his instincts were on high alert, alarmed at the intensity of Nigel’s eyes boring into him.

“Can’t have been just one kiss, not with how you seem to smell like her,” Nigel growled, his fingers tightening on Aiden’s chin.

Aiden swallowed harshly; he couldn’t quite look away, and he found that he didn’t really want to, not if it meant Nigel was going to misunderstand what was going on. “We hugged for a few minutes,” he whispered, his hands on Nigel’s flanks tighter now in reassurance, “and kissed for a few seconds before she left. She must’ve done it on purpose ‘cause she knew you’d be pissed off, somehow.” Usually Aiden could appreciate Vivian’s sense of humor, but it didn't seem like Nigel was in the mood to share that sentiment. He tried to change tack, letting some annoyance seep into his voice. “You did scent-mark me this morning just so she could smell you on me, didn’t you?”

Nigel’s eyes widened imperceptibly, nothing Aiden would notice if they weren’t just inches apart from each other right now, Aiden breathing raggedly with his instincts hardwired to jump at the slightest provocation.

“I did,” Nigel allowed after a few seconds of silence, narrowing his eyes. “Because you’re _mine,_ remember?”

Aiden didn’t have the time to respond since Nigel took it upon himself to kiss him into silence then, the man’s heavier weight pinning him down onto the bed. He struggled for several moments to push Nigel off, to try and explain himself, but Nigel was an immovable force against him, the damn bastard always so fucking strong when he allowed himself to use that werewolf strength of his.

Deciding that it wasn’t worth it to fight him in the end, Aiden let himself go boneless and pliant beneath Nigel instead, his hands moving from Nigel’s flanks to his back, letting the older man set the pace of their kiss. He could feel Nigel growling, the rumbles in his chest something familiar. Nigel was always possessive, and Aiden knew and accepted that, loved it even, though he had never thought he would be testing that possessive streak in this way. He returned Nigel’s kiss in any way he was allowed to, and Nigel was hardly soft in this as he nipped at Aiden’s lips in biting kisses.

Aiden let out a whimper when he felt Nigel’s erection grinding against his thigh, the friction only making him aware of his own arousal. “Nigel,” he gasped, arching his body into Nigel’s.

“Did you forget you were mine, darling?” Nigel rasped, his voice thick with jealousy and desire. He didn’t wait for an answer, choosing to bite Aiden’s throat where the mating bite was instead. “Do I need to remind you again?”

“Nigel, you don’t need—” Aiden’s words were lost to a strangled cry when Nigel bit down on the mark harder while his hands were busy divesting Aiden of his clothes.

There was really no reasoning with Nigel when he was like this, and Aiden knew it. He gave up on trying to explain himself at this point in time, helping Nigel to take off his own clothes once his were off. There were no words needed then, not when they were finally naked, not when Nigel reached out to the bottle of lube always sitting on the bedside table in the open now, not when Nigel finally had his fingers probing Aiden none too gently. Aiden stayed silent, though he did snarl at the man on top of him when Nigel leaned in to kiss him.

Nigel only chuckled in response, seemingly enjoying the small show of defiance in Aiden. He didn’t say anything or respond in kind, however, choosing to bruise the expanse of skin he could reach while his fingers sought out Aiden’s prostate, leaning his forehead against Aiden to watch the way Aiden was writhing beneath him with a possessive gaze.

Aiden almost jumped in surprise when Nigel finally deemed him prepared enough, as he felt the head of Nigel’s cock brush against his rim. He clung onto Nigel then, throwing his arms around Nigel’s broad shoulders and hissing at the pressure of the cock entering him slowly. Though they have done this so many times now, Aiden would always feel the burn of the penetration before he could derive any pleasure from it. He buried his face at the juncture of Nigel’s shoulder while his body shuddered in acceptance to Nigel’s claim in him, panting against the man’s skin in desperate gulps of air.

“Alright?” Nigel asked gruffly when he could no longer go further inside of Aiden, concern written in his own concentrated brow when he leaned back to stare at his mate.

Aiden managed a huff of laughter as he pulled Nigel for a brief kiss. “Bit too late to ask me that now,” he said dryly, though there was enough fondness in his tone to suggest that he was amused by Nigel’s streak of jealousy. “Come on, Nigel, don’t stop now.”

Nigel bared his teeth in a snarl, closing the gap between them as he plastered his face and body close to Aiden’s. His arms moved to lift Aiden’s legs higher off the bed before he finally started to move, driving in and out of Aiden in harsh thrusts that left him breathless with the force of the movement.

Aiden tightened his own grasp on Nigel’s back, scrambling for something to hold on to as he was practically bent in half while Nigel took refuge in his body. His eyes fluttered closed when he let out a pleasured moan in between thrusts, the moans quickly turning ragged at the fast pace and the feel of Nigel’s teeth on his mating bite again, the man worrying the healed wound in his passion. It took Aiden an embarrassingly short time to come, his body shuddering with the aftershocks and the force of Nigel’s cock driving in and out of him as Nigel fucked him through his orgasm.

He only whimpered in distress when Nigel continued to drive into him in a more languid fashion, apparently intent on savoring the way Aiden was falling apart under him. “Nigel, please,” he murmured against Nigel’s sweaty skin.

“Who’s the old man now, huh?” Nigel asked, a glint of mischief in his eyes.

“It’s not exactly fair when you have the stamina of a werewolf,” Aiden complained when he could find it in him to breathe again. “Oh God, not there,” he whined, writhing when Nigel purposely grazed his widening girth against his prostate.

Nigel chuckled fondly, silencing Aiden’s moans with a kiss as he continued to slowly rock himself against Aiden’s oversensitive body. “You needed a reminder, darling,” he growled before his knot inflated fully inside Aiden, both of them groaning as Aiden was filled with Nigel’s release.

Given the many times Aiden had taken Nigel’s knot before this, he was still left breathless every time, the feeling of being so full and surrounded by Nigel something he could never replicate elsewhere. Both of them were silent for several minutes, trying to catch their breaths while Nigel maneuvered them into a more comfortable position with Aiden laid on top of him.

Aiden was beginning to nod off to sleep when he felt the knot deflating, the rush of come leaking out of him always leaving him feeling so lewd and fulfilled at the same time. He breathed a sigh of relief when Nigel fingered at his sore rim for a few moments, the gentle pressure somewhat soothing.

“You done being jealous?” Aiden murmured into Nigel’s throat, his eyes closed and his hands lazily tracing the curls on Nigel’s chest.

“Not if you’re going to keep this up if I’m being honest,” Nigel replied, though Aiden could sense the smirk on his face.

“You know I’m yours. You gave me the mating bite to prove it after all.”

Nigel hummed, his fingers gravitating towards said bite mark, curling there possessively. “Wouldn’t hurt to remind you and every other werewolf in Bucharest, now that there’s a new alpha in town. An alpha who _you_ used to date.”

Aiden’s eyes opened at Nigel’s bitter tone, raising his head to frown at Nigel. “You can’t be serious?”

Nigel shrugged minutely, looking away. “I told you I’m not a nice man. Time you learned that.”

Aiden sighed through his nose and placed one of his hands on Nigel’s chin, guiding the man’s face to gaze at him once more. “You’re an idiot, that’s what you are,” Aiden declared, glaring at Nigel. “What, did you think I would just drop everything I have with you just because Vivian came back? It’s true we had a relationship before you came into the picture, but I thought the past few months and this bite you gave me was enough to let you know that I’m not going anywhere.”

Nigel just stared at him in silence for a few moments before he pulled Aiden’s hand away from his face. Their hands were still laced together, but Nigel was staring at him in a mixture of disbelief and awe that Aiden was forcibly reminded of Nigel’s ex-wife. Maybe the problem with the whole thing wasn’t with _him_ , Aiden realized, but something to do with Nigel’s own insecurities after Gabi turned away from him even though they were married _and_ mated before this.

Stifling his sigh, Aiden leaned forward to give Nigel a soft, chaste kiss. “I wish I could bite you back to make sure you’re mine too,” Aiden murmured against his lips.

The words were enough to rouse Nigel out of his funk evidently, the man smiling at last at the confession. “I’d let you, but you’d probably do a shit job at it,” he said, laughing at the affronted glare Aiden threw him. “No offense, gorgeous, but human teeth aren’t really built for it.”

Aiden sighed. “If anything, I should be the one who’s worried. Who’s to say you won’t be leaving me for some other werewolf in the future? You guys have a longer lifespan than humans do.”

That sent him down another rabbit hole that he didn’t want to consider, and the thought of Nigel outliving him and finding another mate afterwards didn’t quite sit right with him. His thoughts sobering, he sighed again and closed his eyes, sliding even closer to Nigel at the thought of the other man leaving him one day. “Let’s just… sleep. I don’t think I want to talk about this anymore.”

He could feel Nigel sighing against him, both of them lost in their own thoughts. Even so, one of Nigel’s hands was draped around Aiden’s flank, the touch of it so soothing that Aiden leaned into it. Nigel’s body felt warmer than usual, but he didn’t comment on it, choosing to drift off to sleep instead of thinking about the future where Nigel might not be in his life anymore.

When Aiden woke up the next morning, it was to a flurry of activity. He watched blearily from their bed as Nigel paced almost maniacally around the bedroom while talking into his phone in Romanian, the syllables spat out as if in a curse. With Nigel, Aiden didn’t doubt that it probably _was_ a curse. He looked on, amused, as Nigel continued to talk to the other person on his phone, wondering if it was Darko or just another one of Nigel’s hapless affiliates.

He yawned and stretched on the bed, wincing slightly at the reminder of how sore his body was now that he’s awake to feel it. It seemed like it would take a while for Nigel to calm down, so Aiden decided to have a thorough shower, the warm waters beating down on him calming his restless thoughts. He emerged out of the bathroom feeling cleaner and fresher, his eyes sweeping across the room to see that Nigel had disappeared – probably made his way to the living room, judging by the sound of his irate voice from the hallway.

Today felt like another lazy day for him, since he had managed to finish the latest installment of his graphic novel for this month. Maybe another jaunt throughout the city wouldn’t go amiss; they’re still in the middle of summer, after all, it would be a shame not to enjoy it to the fullest.

He decided to grab a quick breakfast in the kitchen and announce his intention to Nigel, almost running into the man when he entered the living room. Nigel was looking at him in a distracted manner, telling him something about the boys having botched up a shipment of something and that he had to go and appease some of his allies because of it.

Aiden listened in silence, humming and nodding at the right places while making a simple sandwich for himself and biting into it, his eyes tracking Nigel’s harried movements. The man was looking for his items all over the place, asking Aiden whether he had seen his pack of cigarettes and wallet. Finishing his light breakfast, he rolled his eyes and made his way back to their bedroom to fetch the items Nigel was proclaiming to be missing, dangling them in front of Nigel’s eyes.

“Seriously, can you blame me for calling you an old man?” Aiden asked, teasing. He leaned in for the kiss that Nigel offered, smiling into it. “Busy morning, huh?”

“Damn right,” Nigel said testily. “These new punks are going to be the death of me.”

“Hmm, let’s hope not,” Aiden chided, patting Nigel’s chest affectionately. “I’ll see you for dinner?” He frowned a little when he felt how hot Nigel’s skin felt, even with all the layers Nigel had put on. “You feel really warm, Nigel, are you sure you’re alright?”

Nigel shook his head, pulling away from Aiden’s touch. “I’m fine, you take care of yourself, alright? I’ll be back soon, hopefully earlier. You got your phone on you?”

Aiden nodded, scrutinizing the way Nigel was intently avoiding Aiden’s searching gaze. “Yeah, I have it on me. Charged and everything.”

“Good,” Nigel murmured, leaning in for a chaste kiss before pulling away almost reluctantly. “I’ll call you when I’m done.”

He only managed to mutter a confirmation before Nigel practically rushed away, the slam of the front door sounding loud in his absence.

Aiden frowned; he shook his head as he tried to recall the various emotions fleeting across Nigel’s face before the man had turned away from him. Perhaps he still felt guilty over the whole jealousy thing yesterday, or perhaps he really was just simply busy and distracted because of his work. He threw the worry out of his mind, determined not to let Nigel’s volatile mood get the best of him today as he got ready for another walk through his favorite city.

Aiden spent his day leisurely, seemingly without a care in the world even though his mind still inevitably worried about Nigel’s distracted manner this morning. He had never seen the man so evasive before this, and though they were both somehow emotionally stunted, he wouldn’t have thought that Nigel would be hiding something from him, not after all the shit they’ve been through.

He liked the thought of that; no secrets between the two of them. But maybe it shouldn’t have surprised him that that wouldn’t be the case, even with Nigel’s mating bite on his throat.

His feet took him everywhere he could think of, his own body content to roam around with no destination in mind even as his mind turned over the thoughts percolating in his head. He wasn’t too distracted to enjoy the nice weather they had – even the throng of tourists didn’t bother him too much when he got to the more crowded part of Bucharest. He liked that the city felt so much more alive and vibrant when it’s filled with people from all walks of life, liked finding a spot at one of the discrete cafes lining the sidewalk as he watched the people walking by with their excited chatters and exhausted smiles. He wasn’t part of it all, but he didn’t need to be; there was something nice in soaking up people’s pleasant emotions instead of focusing on his own feelings.

By the time he came back to Nigel’s apartment, it was early in the evening still and he was still buoyed by the pleasant time he had spent outside. His skin felt slightly burnt, but it was just one of those things he enjoyed about a summer soaked in the sun. He had a late lunch at one of the restaurants he usually frequented when he was still living on his own, and his stomach felt fully sated, his head pleasantly drowsy from the good food and the warmth of the sun soaked into his skin.

He took a perfunctory look at himself in the bathroom mirror – hair tousled, cheeks and forehead red from the time spent out in the sun – before he washed his face and hands in the bathroom in a bid to refresh himself. Nigel was still nowhere to be seen, so perhaps he would be coming back late after all.

Aiden sighed, feeling a little bit melancholy and lonely, and threw himself onto their bed in a careless movement. He didn’t realize that he had fallen asleep, at least not until he was awakened by the shifting of the mattress beside him. He felt as if he was asleep still, until a warm hand slipped under his t-shirt and caressed his stomach.

He opened his eyes then, startled out of his sleep when he felt himself being turned on his back. “Nigel?” he murmured sleepily. “Time is it?”

Nigel was smiling down at him, his eyes gentle though his hands were making quick work of ensuring that their clothes were out of the way before he kissed Aiden. “Almost dinner time,” he replied after pulling away, his hands automatically reaching out for the lube. “Time for some snack.”

Aiden huffed, amused and somewhat bewildered by Nigel’s sudden return and his apparently insatiable appetite. He was about to come up with a snarky remark before Nigel pre-empted that by swallowing Aiden’s half-hard cock and fingering him open at the same time. His hips twitched around Nigel’s instinctively, shocked at the sudden but welcomed pressure.

From there on, he only managed to whimper out an approximation of Nigel’s name, his words slowly disintegrating into incoherent moans. Nigel did not allow him a reprieve, and he didn’t have to prepare Aiden all that long before he replaced his fingers with his cock.

Aiden was definitely awake now, his own pre-come leaking on his belly while Nigel propped him up to sit on top of the man, Nigel’s cock slowly penetrating him as Nigel’s hands guided his hips down. He felt the breath punched out of him when he was fully impaled on the man, the burn turning into something more pleasurable once Nigel started moving inside him.

Nigel held him close, his tongue and teeth returning to Aiden’s mating bite again, seemingly drawn to it. Aiden’s whimpers and garbled words were lost to him as he was more or less bouncing obscenely on Nigel’s cock, the feeling of being so filled as he was perched on Nigel’s lap so perfectly exquisite that he was practically begging for it.

It didn’t take them long to fall apart, Aiden coming on a particularly powerful thrust against his prostate before Nigel came and knotted Aiden with little to no warning. Again, Aiden felt like the breath was punched out of him when Nigel knotted him, the stretch and burn just at the edge of pain and pleasure. He didn’t quite feel himself tearing, but he winced at the sting. The tugging on his rim when Nigel jostled them to lie down on the bed on their side was a painful yet satisfying reminder that they were still tied together.

Aiden was still trying to catch his breath from his own orgasm, blinking the sweat out of his eyes as he caught Nigel’s intent gaze on him. The heat radiating off the older man’s body was undeniable with their proximity, tangled as they were within one another. Aiden frowned as his hand grazed Nigel’s bicep, realizing how warm Nigel’s body felt. “You okay? Seriously, it feels like you’re burning up.”

It was then that Aiden realized that there was something different in Nigel’s gaze, once he was clear-headed enough to make sense of it. Nigel’s pupils were dilated, the usually dark brown pupils now speckled with bright gold, the iris of his eyes growing impossibly bigger at the realization dawning in Aiden’s mind.

“Oh my God, are you in rut?” Aiden asked, soft enough, though he sounded incredulous even to himself. “Is that what this is?”

Nigel growled, an odd, feral sound escaping him as his entire body grew rigid from Aiden’s questioning. He visibly gathered himself together, though, shutting his eyes tight as he tried to calm himself down, the werewolf inside him receding almost completely when Nigel opened his brown eyes again. Swallowing harshly, Nigel tightened his hold on Aiden as if he couldn’t help himself, though he only lingered closer to take in Aiden’s scent, his eyes closing helplessly.

“Shit, I might be,” Nigel murmured, resigned. “Thought I’d have another week, at least.”

Aiden’s body sagged in relief, finally coming to an understanding after all the perplexing clues slotted itself into place. “That’s why you’ve been so weird for the past few days,” he said, letting himself be scented. “So that’s it? Are you… okay now?”

Nigel laughed ruefully. “Fucking fuck. I was supposed to prepare you for this, and now it looks like we might not even have a week.”

Once Nigel’s cock softened, Nigel slowly extricated himself from Aiden, wincing at the hiss of pain that Aiden let out.

On his part, Aiden felt… well, relieved, first of all, and he never said no to sex with Nigel – he was a man growing into his own after all, and he always appreciated his own libido when he could find someone to sate it with. He could ignore the pain if it meant that Nigel was satisfied, but Nigel’s tone made him frown.

“You mean that wasn’t it?” he asked, letting Nigel clean him up with a warm washcloth he had procured from the bathroom. He flinched a little when the cloth rubbed against his sore rim – it might not have torn, but it definitely came close to it.

“No, my rut would definitely be worse than this,” Nigel muttered, distracted once more. The swipes against Aiden’s body felt perfunctory, though Nigel went through it until he deemed Aiden clean enough. “I’m gonna go get started on dinner, and we’ll discuss…. this.”

Nigel didn’t even give Aiden a chance to answer before he made a swift exit out of the bedroom, leaving Aiden alone, his frown growing deeper with every word Nigel uttered.

Dinner was a stilted affair, the awkwardness palpable in the air as Aiden tried to come up with anything to talk about before Nigel let everything die into the air. Aiden kept up his own chatter throughout dinner, though, hoping to telegraph the fact that he felt fine even after that surprise round of sex. He talked about the day he spent around the cities, the things he saw and sketched while he was doing his usual people-watching activities. Nigel hummed noncommittally at everything; he was barely paying attention while he wolfed down his food, and Aiden noticed that his dinner plate was piled with a lot of meat, even more so than usual.

“So when are you actually going to talk about ‘this’?” Aiden asked after another exasperating silence – he couldn’t even think of things to talk about anymore, and he was tired by Nigel’s evasiveness. “Whatever ‘this’ is. What’s wrong with your rut coming earlier?”

Nigel sighed, looking at his empty plate and knowing that he couldn’t deflect the whole thing for any longer. “It’s fine, kid, I just need to hole up with Darko for a few days until my rut dies down. You can stay here or you can stay in your own apartment if you prefer that.”

Aiden could feel his eyebrows shooting up in surprise at that. “What? Why? I’m here, aren’t I? Aren’t we mated? I thought I was supposed to help you through it.”

Nigel’s eyes flicked wearily to Aiden’s, shaking his head. “You have no idea what you’ll be in for. A werewolf rut can last a few days, and, well, we usually get pretty savage during the whole thing. I don’t think your body can take it. It’s safer this way.”

“That’s bullshit,” Aiden spat out, frowning. “Do I need to remind you that you were the one who mated me, and now you’re telling me that I can’t even help you with this?”

“You don’t know what you’re asking for,” Nigel said flatly. “I don’t think it’s safe for you to do this. I’ll make the arrangement with Darko.”

With that, Nigel got up from his seat, taking his dishes with him. Aiden felt unusually numb, stuck to his seat, feeling like an absolute idiot while he ignored the anger and sadness taking root inside of him.

He still felt numb while he went through his nightly routines, quietly putting away his sketches into his corner in their shared bedroom while Nigel shuffled about the room trying to pack his clothes into a duffel bag. He was numb still even after he went through his usual ablutions and finally let himself fall onto the bed.

Aiden was lying down with his body turned away from Nigel. He closed his eyes and forced his breathing to even out, forced his own beating heart to slow down, forced his own distressed feelings down so that he could try to go to sleep. He ignored the feeling of Nigel’s gaze burning on his back, and he had a strange feeling that Nigel was looking at the exposed skin at his throat, where his mating bite was. He tamped down his own emotions and let himself drift off into a fitful sleep.

He woke up early the next morning, his senses on high alert. It was barely dawn, but that was early for him and Nigel, who sometimes slept well into the noon if his work didn’t call for him. He blinked his eyes open and forced the sleep out of his eyes, checking the display of his phone to see the time. He slipped out of bed as silently as he could, Nigel still snoring softly on his side of the bed, and made his way out of the bedroom and into the corridor leading out to the front door. He was dressed in a light jacket to combat the morning chill and his feet took him outside before he realized what he was doing, the cool morning air hitting his cheeks making him more alert of his surroundings.

Sighing, he looked to his left and right; there were some people already milling about, preparing for their commute to work most likely, though most of the lights were still off in the neighborhood. Protecting himself against the chilly air, he slid his phone into his jeans, stuck his hands in the pockets of his jacket and walked on, his feet taking him where they may go.

There was no special destination in mind; this could be his usual ambling walks around the city if he didn’t think about it too much. He wasn’t really sulking (though perhaps Nigel would disagree), but he did feel like he needed to walk off his own conflicted feelings. It was nice to walk around the quiet alleyways, the crisp air refreshing on his face. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t realize his feet had carried him to the café where he and Vivian had met the day before.

 _Of course_ , Aiden thought wryly. Why didn’t he think of Vivian?

He took out his phone and looked at the time, considering. It’s only half-past seven in the morning, but he couldn’t bear to wait until later to ask what was weighing on his mind. Not letting himself think about it any further, he called Vivian’s number, pacing in front of the café since it would still be closed for another half an hour at least. He didn’t feel like sitting down, anyway.

Vivian answered on the fourth ring, sounding alert considering the time. “Aiden? Something wrong? What happened?”

Aiden laughed, relieved that Vivian had answered. “No, no, nothing, I’m fine. Just… thinking.”

There was a beat of silence before Vivian spoke again. “You called me at… seven-thirty in the morning, just because you’re thinking of something? Okay, I’m officially worried.”

“God, it’s nothing,” he said, placating. “It’s just… okay this is really something stupid but I really need to talk to another werewolf about it. Is it okay if I see you later today? Whenever you’re free?”

“Wait, where are you right now? I’m guessing you want to talk about Nigel, but are you not with him or something?”

“I’m… kind of already in front of our café.”

“Aiden, it’s not even 8am yet,” Vivian said, laughing a little. “Isn’t it a bit too early to have an existential crisis over a werewolf?”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it, laugh it up,” Aiden said, grinning. “Seriously, though. Are you free? ‘Cause if you’re not, the only other person I can talk to about this is Darko, and I don’t think he’s the best choice for this sort of conversation…”

“Well, I’m intrigued. Give me half an hour and I’ll see you there.”

Aiden breathed a sigh of relief, slumping a little in his pacing. “Thanks, Viv, I owe you one.”

When Vivian finally got there over half an hour later, the café had opened for business and Aiden had ordered something hearty for them both – two plates of the breakfast platter and two latte – while he waited for Vivian.

Vivian gave him a bright smile when she saw him seated already, waving a hello as she sat down.

“Oh, thanks for ordering,” she said, already digging in without any invitation. They both ate and chewed in silence before Vivian raised her eyes to meet Aiden again. “So? Do you want to talk about it now, or what? What was so urgent that you had to call me so early?”

Aiden gulped down his breakfast with the latte, clearing his throat in embarrassment. “Okay, this might be a sensitive issue,” he said, lowering his voice. “But werewolves get into, like… ruts, right?”

She choked on a piece of bacon at the question, and she had to drink a few gulps of water before she could bring her coughing fit down. Her eyes were wide with mirth when she did turn back to Aiden, throwing him an amused raise of her eyebrow. “Oh my God, _this_ was the reason you called me?”

Aiden sighed, putting his face in his hands. “I don’t really have anyone else to talk to about this,” he reminded her. “Have mercy on me.”

Shaking her head, Vivian let out a bark of laughter before she continued with her meal, chewing thoughtfully as she gazed at Aiden. “Yeah, we get ruts and heats. For procreation reasons, you know. Werewolves’ biology is obviously different than humans, and most of the stuff you can find on the internet about the whole Loup-Garoux legend gets it somewhat right; probably some of the younger werewolves’ idea of a practical joke to put it on Wikipedia, but it got around anyway. And _why_ are you asking, exactly?”

“You know exactly why,” Aiden said with a roll of his eyes. “That’s why I’m asking you instead of Nigel. He’s… I think he’s probably going into the whole thing in a few days? And he doesn’t want me to help him through it.”

“Ooooh,” Vivian breathed out, her eyes widening with understanding. She put down her utensils on the plate and gave Aiden a considering stare. “Okay… so I mean, where’s the problem?”

Aiden frowned, his brow scrunching. “I want to help him through it, obviously. I mean, we’re… kind of mated. Isn’t that the whole point of being mated to a werewolf?” He could feel his face flushing at the whole conversation. Thankfully there weren’t a lot of people out and about so early in the morning. He prayed that no one else would be hearing their talks. “Sorry. I guess it’s sort of weird to talk about spending a rut with your mate with your ex-girlfriend.”

Vivian leaned back in her seat, her gaze contemplative. “I mean, I don’t speak for every werewolf, obviously, but yeah. I’d want to help my mate through it, too.” She shrugged. “But… I can see why he’d be holding back when it comes to you, too. You’re… well, you’re human.”

“Thanks a lot,” Aiden said, snorting. He crossed his arms in irritation and shook his head. “I mean, yeah, I’m human, but it’s not like we haven’t been… intimate before this. So, what, he’s just going to slink off to some other guy’s home and pray that his rut passed by after a few days while I just… sit around the house sketching and pretend nothing’s wrong with my mate or something? That’s stupid.”

Vivian kept her calm gaze on him; it was almost preternatural, the way she held herself sometimes. She always seemed so composed, even when she showed her more playful side to him. It was one of the things that he liked about her, how unfazed she was with everything.

She reached for a coffee after several minutes of silence, taking a long drink. She licked the coffee foam from her lips, smiling at Aiden. “Honestly? He probably doesn’t want to hurt you, because ruts can be pretty intense if you’re not made for it. But I know that there have been more of us procreating with humans long before this, so there must be a safe way to get through it. I think he’s just trying to think rationally before his rut hits him, and he was trying to drive you away when he said that. He sure as hell wouldn’t be able to think straight in a couple of days if his rut is due soon.” She smirked. “I think you can probably persuade him if you really want to.”

Aiden raised his eyebrows, surprised at the nonchalant suggestion. “So I just, what? Try to seduce him?” he sputtered out incredulously.

Vivian shrugged and finished her latte in the comparative silence, the city stirring into life with people walking about for their daily commute to work. “Worth a shot. You’re mates, after all. Werewolves mate for life, you know. He obviously felt strongly enough about you for him to bite you and bond you in that way.”

“Yeah, he might’ve mentioned that,” Aiden sighed. “Why can’t he just talk to me instead of deciding for me…”

That earned another listless shrug from Vivian. “Men are weird creatures, even if they’re werewolves,” she said philosophically before breaking into a smile. “Just make sure you know what you’re really getting into, Aiden. Seriously.”

Aiden blinked, the color returning to his cheeks as he flushed in embarrassment at the suggestive tone. “Yeah, okay, I don’t think I feel comfortable talking to you about _that_ if I’m being completely honest.”

Vivian laughed, shaking her head. “Look, you’re the one who came to me for some advice. I’m just gonna give it to you, and you can do what you want with it. At the end of the day, just make sure you and Nigel know what you’re really doing.”

Sighing, Aiden slumped in his chair a little bit more. “Looks like I have to talk to him when I get back,” he muttered, dreading the thought. Last night’s awkward argument was uncomfortable enough, and now he actually needed to _talk_ about his feelings. _This could only end in tears_ , Aiden thought morosely. “Thanks, though. I appreciate it.”

“No worries. Like you said, you’ll owe me.” Standing up, she took a look at her phone and gave a put-upon sigh. “Well, looks like they’re looking for me again. Another dispute between the smaller packs, now that everyone’s broken up into different turfs.”

“Good luck with that,” Aiden said. “I’m just gonna sit here for a while before I make my way back.”

“Okay, I’ll see you around, good luck with Nigel’s you-know-what!” Vivian said, giving Aiden a brief hug before she made her getaway, waving at him until she slipped into the morning crowd.

Aiden chuckled, shaking his head. He allowed himself another moment of peace, thinking over Vivian’s advice while he drank the last of his latte. Vivian was right, of course. There was no other way other than to talk to Nigel about the whole thing; either Nigel would listen to him, or he won’t. One thing he knew for sure: there was no way that Aiden was going to let Nigel go through his rut alone, not if he could help it.

He took out his phone to check the time and cursed when he realized that the battery of his phone had died. Sighing, he got up to make his way back to their apartment, hoping that Nigel would still be around for their impending talk.

Aiden had a moment of confusion when he let himself into the apartment twenty minutes later, his brow furrowing with worry when he heard Nigel’s voice arguing with someone. He made his way silently to the living room, where he could hear the volume of the men’s voices growing louder as he stepped inside the space.

“—fuck you, you think you know so much—”

“—I do know a lot of things you apparently don’t, what the hell did you call me here for, stop panicking for a second and calm down, you little shit!”

“Fuck off, I’ll stop when—”

“Hey!” Aiden called out over the din, his eyes narrowing at Darko and Nigel who were in the midst of an argument in the living room. “What’s going on?” he asked, his gaze going from Darko to Nigel in turn.

Darko seemed to deflate at the sight of Aiden. He rolled his eyes and turned his glare at Nigel. “See? What the fuck were you so fucking worried about, he’s here! And look, not a hair harmed on him!”

Inwardly, Aiden sighed – it seemed like his presence had been missed. Outwardly, he stepped forward in a cautious movement, highly aware of Nigel’s glare on him. “I was just out for a while,” Aiden explained, his voice measured.

Nigel’s nostrils flared as he took a deep inhale. “Were you, now?” he spat out. “Care to tell me why you smell like another werewolf?”

 _Oh God, are we really going to argue in front of Darko_? 

“Answer me, Aiden,” Nigel growled, his eyes flashing.

Apparently, they were. “I was with Vivian,” Aiden said, sighing, “as you very well know since you can apparently _smell_ her on me. I called her for some perspective.”

Nigel’s brows drew in confusion at that; clearly, he wasn’t expecting for Aiden to be so cavalier over the whole thing, and the fight seemed to deflate out of him for a little bit before he gathered himself up again. “Oh? And what would you need her _perspective_ for, so early in the morning?”

“I wanted to ask her why my mate wouldn’t want to spend his rut with me,” Aiden said plainly, his cheeks flushing as his glare darted from Nigel to Darko and back to Nigel again.

Darko looked slightly uncomfortable at the mention of Nigel’s incoming rut, clearing his throat in an embarrassed manner. “Well, I can see I’m not needed—”

“Tell me _why_ you would fucking ask another werewolf about this?” Nigel asked, his voice murderous. Darko’s hackles seemed to be rising, worry written into his expression now.

“Because my mate couldn’t be bothered to actually talk to me about it before making my decision for me,” Aiden said, exhausted. “Look, I get it, you’re afraid of hurting me or whatever. But you’re still hurting me when you do things like this – like shutting me out of the decision-making when it’s supposed to be something you discussed with your life partner or mates or whatever it is that you werewolves called it.” He turned to Darko. “I guess he freaked out to find that I’m gone and called you in for cavalry? Did you already set every pack member to find me, or what?”

Darko smirked, ignoring Nigel’s responding glare. “Something like that. Didn’t bring your phone with you?”

“I did, but it ran out of battery,” Aiden muttered, showing them the dead phone in his hand.

“Yeah, well,” Darko said, shrugging nonchalantly and beginning to make his way out of the living room. He patted Aiden’s shoulder affectionately, smiling. “At least you’re back here. I’m leaving you here to clean up your own mess.”

“Thanks,” Aiden said dryly, wincing at Nigel’s worsening features.

“For what it’s worth,” Darko shouted to Nigel before he disappeared down the hallway, “my money is on Aiden being right, you piece of shit.”

There was a sound of the door being opened and slammed shut before Aiden allowed himself to look at Nigel once more. Nigel’s face was thunderous, and it reminded him of that night in the forest when the other man had come upon him unexpectedly, the rage in his face apparent back then and now.

He sighed again, taking a few more cautious steps towards Nigel and telegraphing his intent with every move. Nigel didn’t move from where he was standing in the middle of the living room, his eyes tracking Aiden as he approached closer and closer.

Aiden wasn’t sure what exactly he intended to do until he found himself inches away from Nigel.

 _My mate_ , he thought in fondness and exasperation. He wound his arms around Nigel then, trying to melt himself into his warmth. Nigel flinched at the touch, though he didn’t move away. Aiden closed his eyes and placed his ear on Nigel’s rabbiting heartbeat, the sound so strong that he thought he could hear the rush of blood pumping through the man’s heart. This way, he could feel how hot Nigel’s skin is, only now understanding that this was one of the symptoms of Nigel’s rut.

They stayed like that, for a while, Nigel still as a statue as he tried to subdue his anger while Aiden hugged Nigel for what seemed like an eternity, his own heartbeat loud in his ears. For a second, he thought that he could hear their hearts beating in a synchronized tempo, and it calmed him to know that he was just as affected by Nigel’s absence as Nigel was by his.

“I love you, Nigel,” he said softly, his eyes still closed, enjoying the way Nigel’s heart rate picked up at the words. “It’s been that way for a while now, but I thought I should say it now before I say anything else.”

That seemed to get Nigel’s attention, the rigidity in his figure loosening on an exhale before Aiden found himself being enveloped in a crushing embrace. He gasped at the force of it, though he didn’t resist, only surprised at the sudden weight crushing him in.

“You still smell like her,” Nigel muttered, sniffing. He didn’t quite turn away, however, and Aiden counted that as a victory.

Smiling, Aiden pulled away slightly, staring up into Nigel’s eyes and mustering up enough sincerity to show how much Nigel meant to him, willing the other man to understand the depths of his love and affection. “I can shower later if it makes you feel better.”

Nigel looked unsure and wrong-footed for the first time since Aiden had known him, and he took that as a ‘yes’. His throat was working harshly, and it took several seconds for him to regain his composure before he could speak again. He looked embarrassed at his own inability to say something in response to Aiden’s declaration that Aiden took pity on him.

Chuckling, Aiden shook his head and tugged at one of Nigel’s hands. “You don’t have to say it if you’re not ready for it,” he said kindly, smiling at the expression on Nigel’s face. “Come back to bed with me? Or did you need to be somewhere else?”

Nigel shook his head with some emotion and let himself be led to their bedroom, the door shutting softly before Aiden pulled Nigel into bed with him. They laid on the bed facing each other, drinking in the sight of one another. Aiden was content to just stare and map the wrinkles of concern on Nigel’s brow, the crow’s feet lining the corners of Nigel’s eyes, and the smile lines on Nigel’s cheeks, taking them in one by one and committing them to memory, intending to replicate it on his sketchbook later. Nigel seemed to be doing the same, his gaze so open and raw that it took all of Aiden’s restraint not to look away.

“I want you to spend your rut with me,” Aiden said firmly.

Nigel seemed to be battling with something as he continued to stare at Aiden, his eyes indecisive. “I could hurt you. A rut could take days, sometimes up to even a week, to run its course. If I’m not careful with you, you might even end up dead.”

Aiden scoffed. “Really? You think your dick is so magical that it’s going to send me to the afterlife?” Even as an excuse, it sounded weak to his ears, and Nigel wasn’t saying no.

Nigel cracked a smile, his eyes softening and his body loosening some of the underlying tension in his frame. “I’m serious. There are rumors of it happening. We don’t really mate with humans for that same reason. They’re considered the more inferior species. Hey, don’t look at me like that, I wasn’t the one who said it.”

“Yeah, well,” Aiden sniffed, “you’re not really showing your ‘superior’ intelligence in all this. You could’ve talked to me.”

“It’s… hard. Being so close to you right now,” Nigel said gruffly. “Once my rut hits, it’ll be even harder to pull away from you, knowing that you’re my mate.”

“What does it feel like?” Aiden asked softly.

Nigel sighed, his throat working again. “Shit, I’m so bad at talking about this.”

“Just try,” Aiden pleaded. “Don’t shut me out. I can’t handle that. That’s what Vivian did when she kept secrets from me, and look how well that turned out afterward.”

Nigel’s breath caught at that, and the way he moved to cradle Aiden in his arms felt instinctive, something he couldn’t quite help himself from doing.

“It feels like this,” Nigel murmured against his curls, after a long moment of silence where they just listened to each other’s breathing. “Like something is pulling me towards you. I can’t really explain it. You won’t feel it as strongly, as a human.”

“Huh. Do you mean like… you feel some kind of bond with me?”

“Something like that.”

“Even if I’m only human?”

“Yes. It’s harder to ignore my instincts when you’re this close, but it does get easier when we’re apart. My thoughts are less… murky.”

“Well, what would happen if you spent your rut alone?” Aiden narrowed his eyes, leaning back to glare at Nigel. “Or are you going to tell me that you’ll be spending it with someone else?”

“I would never,” Nigel said, grinning at the streak of jealousy. “It would be… painful, especially since my body will know that my mate is around somewhere, even if you’re not there with me.”

“The bond will call to you,” Aiden said in understanding. “Then why are you insisting on spending it alone? I’m letting you know now, unequivocally, that I’m willing—no, I’m _insisting_ that you spend your rut with me. So it’s not a problem on my part. What’s the hold-up on yours?”

Nigel sighed again, looking tired. “If you really want to…”

Aiden scowled. “That’s what I just fucking said.”

Chuckling, Nigel kissed Aiden’s forehead. “As I was saying. If you really want to, you’re going to have to be prepared for it. There’s a whole sort of… ritual to it, sort of. It’s going to sound archaic, and you’re _not_ allowed to laugh at it.”

“Wait, what? Is this why you didn’t want me to help you? Because there’s some sort of stupid rules attached to it?” Aiden laughed.

Nigel growled. “What did I just say? No laughing.” His demeanor softened, though, and he smiled a little bit cheekily. “Well. Since you’ve set your mind to it. You’re gonna have to sit through a whole lecture about it from—”

Shit, Aiden knew where this was going. “Oh no, no no no, not him, please—”

“You were the one who wanted—”

“Oh God, he’s gonna call me stupid again—”

“—so you’re going to have to suck it up and—”

“—no, I don’t want to face him again after what happened—”

“—or we can call the whole thing off.”

A beat of silence.

“ _Fine_. But I’m not gonna like it.”

That was how he found himself scowling at his feet while Dr. Andrei stared beadily at the two of them, Darko hovering around Andrei’s side because Darko’s a bastard who would never miss a chance to humiliate Nigel, it seemed.

They were all seated on the couch in Nigel’s living room (except for Darko, who was the only one looking relaxed with the current proceeding), with Nigel and Aiden sat on one couch while Dr. Andrei was seated across them. Nigel’s posture was more relaxed than Aiden, who was trying not to look at Darko’s amused expression, while Dr. Andrei was probably wishing himself elsewhere, judging by the sigh he let out after a few minutes of silence.

“So, we all know why we’re here…” Dr. Andrei began, coughing a little to mask his own awkwardness at everything that was taking place. “Though I don’t know why Darko’s here. I only needed you as an escort, you could’ve waited outside, you know.”

“And miss all this?” Darko asked, grinning widely. “This is payback time for all the PDA I had to endure.”

Aiden rolled his eyes while Nigel glared at Darko.

“As I was saying,” Dr. Andrei said, sighing again. “Since it seems like you two still want to go through with this—”

“It’s not me this time, doc, trust me,” Nigel said, smirking, earning him a kick on the shin from Aiden.

“—stop interrupting me, Nigel, or I’ll force you to go through your rut alone. Anyway, a werewolf’s rut would usually come twice every year, though for older werewolves they would find it reduced somewhat as they grow older.” Dr. Andrei was staring at Aiden throughout his explanation, and it was all Aiden could do to avoid flushing under the men’s stare. “A rut can be exhausting, for both the werewolf and their partners, mated or not. It could take several days, maybe a few weeks in the worst case though those are rare. I think yours are normally what, two to three days, Nigel?”

“Yeah,” Nigel agreed, shrugging.

“Right, so most likely we’re looking at three days of rut,” Dr. Andrei said, actually _making notes_ while he was talking, much to Aiden’s mortification.

Aiden wondered what could possibly be so interesting to write down about all this.

“So you need to be prepared for those three days,” Dr. Andrei continued, “though I would advise you to prepare for the whole week since you’d be tired after all the… activities.” Cough. “Prepped meals, anything that doesn’t need to be cooked and can just be reheated, are highly recommended. You need lots of fruits and fluids, so make sure you have bottles of water nearby. I don’t think you’d need a drip unless Nigel really fucked up—”

“Hey, _I’ve_ been through a rut before, why are you singling me out?”

“—I told you not to interrupt, you stupid boy,” Dr. Andrei snapped, wagging his pen at Nigel. “So no drip. I do have to come and check up on you after those three days. I don’t think Nigel would let me go near you before then.”

Aiden nodded, taking it all in. “Sounds doable.”

“Yes, but you’re going to need to prepare yourself before that,” Dr. Andrei said, his eyes on Aiden once more.

“When you say preparation…” Aiden began.

“I mean you have to use the knotting toy days beforehand and probably have a—”

“Actually, can we have this conversation in private?” Aiden rushed in, feeling his whole body heating up in embarrassment while he tried to ignore Nigel’s grin.

“Very well,” Dr. Andrei said warily in the midst of Nigel and Darko’s laughter, the two men clearly amused at Aiden’s state. “Oh shut it, you two, you can laugh it up now, but you’re the ones who end up being mindless once you enter your ruts. I remember some of their ruts, you see. Darko was just out streaking and mooning everyone on the streets of Bucharest, while Nigel was just humping some poor fire hydran—”

“Okay okay, we get it, we’ll keep silent,” Nigel said hastily, though he snorted in amusement at the way Aiden’s eyebrow was raised at the both of them.

“If you children will let me continue,” Dr. Andrei said, rolling his eyes. “So this ritual we have… it’s not something we do all that much if we can help it, but it does help to trigger Nigel’s rut in a safer manner than if we let him take you without any warning”—Dr. Andrei valiantly ignored Aiden’s embarrassed sputtering—“so I would suggest you two to try it out and see if it’s effective. I recommend finding a safe, secluded space for just the two of you – a forest, an empty street in the middle of the night, your own house or grounds where you know it’s only the two of you – to play this ritual out.”

Aiden was beginning to feel nervous at the explanation, wondering just what it was that he needed to do. Nigel squeezed his shoulder and threw him a quick reassuring smile before they both turned their attention to Dr. Andrei.

“What you need to do, Aiden, is to lead Nigel on a chase,” the doctor said simply.

“…pardon?” Aiden asked, not sure if that was it or there was something else to it. When no more answer – other than the doctor’s raised brow – was forthcoming, he shook his head. “I mean, that’s it? So I have to… run from Nigel, and that would trigger his rut?”

Dr. Andrei nodded. “It’s a simple mechanism, something that our instincts have become inured to through thousands of years of evolution. Like I said, it’s not necessary, but sometimes it’s easier to trigger a rut than letting it come upon you suddenly. Nigel would chase you, and you will lead him on a merry chase until you either find a safe place or Nigel catches you and finds the two of you a safe place.”

Aiden frowned, ignoring Darko’s grin which was definitely aimed at the two of them. “That sounds… stupid.”

“It is what it is,” Dr. Andrei said, neither agreeing or disagreeing. “If you’d prefer, you can just wait it out, but your preparations should start immediately regardless.”

Aiden swallowed the lump in his throat, nodding jerkily. “Right. So… can we talk about… that… in a more private setting?”

Dr. Andrei nodded in understanding, smiling at him before he glared at Nigel. “You, go take Darko for a walk outside.”

Darko bristled at the suggestion, indignant. “I’m not a _dog_ , I don’t need—”

“Come on, doggy, let’s go,” Nigel said, smirking when Darko flipped him off. He stood up and winked at Aiden as if to say ‘you did ask for the talk’, and Aiden had a moment where he felt like _he_ might flip Nigel off if he wasn’t so nervous about the whole thing.

Nigel and Darko took their bickering outside, probably going out to have a smoke in the meantime while Aiden was going through another version of “the bird and the bees” talk in his life. He wondered what he did in his past life to deserve going through so many embarrassments in this lifetime.

“So,” he said nervously, licking his lips. “When you said preparations…”

Dr. Andrei heaved up a small briefcase onto the coffee table, opening it before gesturing to Aiden to have a look.

He couldn’t really say what he would have expected, but it certainly wasn’t this: a collection of knotting toys and plugs as well as a bottle of lubricant nestled inside the bag. He could feel his whole body flushing again and sighed in dismay. “So… I have to use all this a few days before the chase happens?”

The doctor simply nodded his demeanor professional to the end. “I have sterilized them beforehand, though you might want to wash them again. Nigel asked me to buy these for you based on a doctor’s expert recommendation,” Dr. Andrei said dryly. “So work yourself up to it, because once Nigel’s rut hits, you won’t be able to stop him from trying to mount you all the time.”

“Oh God,” Aiden said, burying his face in his hands. This was so much worse than the usual sex-ed class he had attended in the human world.

“You’ll get used to it when you’re mated to a werewolf,” Dr. Andrei said, taking pity on him. “Anyway you’ll only need to listen to this once. So, let’s talk about body positions—”

“Oh God, there’s _more_?”

Dr. Andrei tutted at him, shaking his head at his ignorance. “Pay attention, boy, you were the one who insisted on it, so I’m going to have to drill this into that thick skull of yours to make sure you live through this.”

Aiden sighed, leaning back against the couch. “Okay,” he said weakly. “Just… do I need a notepad for this or something?”

Dr. Andrei chuckled, shaking his head. “I do have some educational videos you could go through—”

“That’s even worse, no! Just, tell me what I need to know before I go kill myself.”

As it were, it took Dr. Andrei almost twenty minutes to drill the finer points of Nigel’s rut and what Aiden was expected to do to see him through it. By the end of it all, Aiden felt as if he had died and been reborn so many times after hearing the words like “mounting”, “presenting position”, and “prostate stimulation” coming out of the doctor’s mouth. The whole thing felt like an out-of-body experience to him, though the doctor was thankfully professional throughout it all.

Once they were done with everything, Aiden’s head was buzzing with all the new knowledge Dr. Andrei had bestowed on him, and the doctor left him in a stunned daze in the living room, telling him that he would be coming back when Nigel’s rut hit him. Aiden just nodded his understanding, too numb to talk, until he saw Nigel coming back inside, his grin ever-present on his face.

“Had a nice talk?” Nigel asked, smirking.

Aiden sent him a weak glare, though it was less than a glare than it was a pleading stare.

“Hey, you can still back out if you want to,” Nigel said, making his way to Aiden’s side to sit on the couch next to him. “I can still bunk with Darko. He knows what to do to make sure I don’t run around naked on the streets outside.”

That got a startled laugh out of Aiden. “Did you really hump a fire hydrant?”

“That was decades back,” Nigel said gruffly, deflecting. “But seriously, we can call the whole thing off if you’re not comfortable with it. It’s not _that_ painful, I think, to go through it alone.”

“No, no,” Aiden said, shaking his head. “I want to do it. Just… there was a lot of information to go through, and it just feels like I might fuck it up for you.”

Nigel frowned. “You won’t fuck it up. It’s enough that you’re my mate. That’s all I need to get through my rut.”

Aiden sighed. “I’m still going to do it. We just… we just need to talk about the whole ritual thing. What would you be comfortable with?”

“Darling, this kind of conversation is better in bed, where you can let me worship you before we go down to the gritty details, yeah?”

Aiden smiled, wondering how Nigel always knew what to say to soothe him. “Yeah. I like the sound of that.”

Aiden felt like he may have bitten off more than he could chew this time around, though he would never admit to Nigel because the man would just be an insufferable smug bastard about it all.

He was currently trying to catch his breath amidst the thinning woods he had taken shelter in, the condensed trees and the damp, mulchy soil beneath his feet hopefully covering his tracks for a little bit. Of course, knowing how easily Nigel could scent him out, he would be found within minutes, if not seconds, so he had to keep moving.

He took a cautious look around at his surroundings for a few seconds before he aimed his gaze at the streets beyond him, the streetlights illuminating the barren alleyways beyond it. There was thankfully no one around, since they picked the time to ensure that no one else would stumble upon this whole weird ritual, and it seemed to have paid off. He didn’t think running around in a street full of people while a werewolf was chasing you was a good look.

His heart was pounding erratically as he calculated his next move; the whole thing felt surreal considering the last time he ran into the woods turned out to be a nightmarish experience. Oddly enough, the thought of Nigel chasing him through the woods back to their apartment was calming him somehow, and he turned his attention back to the safety of their neighborhood.

He made his way to where the trees thinned and the soil transformed into concrete pavement before he heard the telltale sounds of footsteps somewhere behind him. Aiden’s instincts immediately heightened at the threat of Nigel closing in on him, the hair at the back of his neck standing up in high alert, and he took a chance to run out into the streets as fast as he could.

Hearing the snaps of the branches behind him, he knew that Nigel was close – he’s still in his human form as far as Aiden was aware of, but even then he would be much faster than a mere human. Aiden ignored the thoughts running through his head and focused on the adrenaline pumping through him, counting down the streets he was running on and making sure his hoodie stayed on his head. No point in letting some of the street’s CCTV catch him running around doing God-knows-what at 4 am in the morning; he would have to throw away the hoodie later.

He recognized the street he was passing by, realizing that their apartment was only a block away, and he abruptly made his way into an alleyway for a shortcut, hoping that Nigel would be distracted by the sudden detour.

Evidently, this was the wrong move, as he felt himself being bodily tackled onto the hard ground, his breath leaving him at the impact. Grappling with the other man pinning him, he turned his body towards Nigel to try and claw at something, anything, in a bid to buck the man off him, but Nigel was undeterred.

The sound of his hoodie being ripped apart and Nigel’s resulting growl at finding another layer beneath it did something to him, Aiden shivering with anticipation and trepidation in equal measures. They couldn't do this out here – they still need to make it back to the apartment.

However, it seemed that Nigel the human was truly gone at this point. Aiden’s heart was in his throat when he realized that Nigel’s pupils were completely golden right now, with no traces of the warm brown left in them. There was a split second of static silence in which Nigel looked ready to devour him, and everything felt suspended in the air. He took the opportunity to bring his knees up into Nigel’s stomach though he couldn’t quite enjoy the satisfaction of hearing Nigel’s grunt of pain (or maybe just annoyance) since he scrambled out from beneath Nigel to continue the chase.

He barely made it to their apartment, running up the emergency staircase and taking two steps at a time, his hands shakily reaching the door to their apartment before he felt himself being slammed to the ground of their entryway. “Shit,” he hissed out, struggling against Nigel, using his elbows to try to connect it to Nigel’s face.

There was another grunt of pain, but Nigel was not so easily thrown off him this time around, the man pinning his hands down with one of his.

“Nigel,” he gasped out, feeling Nigel’s hands tearing at his t-shirt. “Not here,” he pleaded. “Bedroom. Please.”

He was still struggling to get Nigel off him, but Nigel must still be somewhat lucid of their surroundings as he growled against Aiden’s neck before he sat up, bringing Aiden with him. Aiden heard the door slamming shut behind them, and then he was being carried over Nigel’s shoulder like he’s some sort of a caveman’s conquest – if he wasn’t so tired and confused by the sudden change, he could’ve maybe laughed at the whole stupid “ritual”.

Aiden was relieved to find himself in the safety of their bedroom, though he was thrown rather unceremoniously onto the bed for all his troubles. He yelped when Nigel yanked down his track pants in a similar manner, his boxers following soon. Nigel himself got naked in record time, Aiden being somewhat impressed at the way the other man just tore the clothes off him like it was mild annoyance in his quest to satisfy his rut.

He was beginning to calm down when he heard Nigel’s growl again, and his whole body tensed with anticipation and, embarrassingly enough, arousal. Sometime during the chase and its near closure, he had gotten half-hard, and Nigel’s silent scrutiny was making him harder by the second.

Another growl was the only warning he got before he felt himself being turned onto his stomach, and his mind quickly went through Dr. Andrei’s advice (much as he hated to think of his talk with the doctor) as he scrambled up into the “presenting” position, his cheeks flushed with the thought of presenting himself to Nigel on a platter, basically.

There was a noise of approval from behind him when Nigel saw that Aiden’s entrance was well prepared, and his body relaxed incrementally once he realized that Nigel was pleased with him. He panted in relief with his forehead nestled onto his own forearms and he tried to relax himself a little bit more.

Aiden couldn’t quite help the gasp elicited from him when Nigel suddenly pushed into him with no warning, Nigel’s hands gripping his hips tightly to pull him back onto the man’s girth. Shocked at being so quickly filled, his body trembled from the intrusion, though it didn’t seem to matter to Nigel as he finally snarled in satisfaction before he pounded into Aiden again and again.

Even though Aiden had prepared his body as well as he could before their chase since he had been priming his own body using the toys, plugs, and a huge amount of lubricant for the past two days. However, there was nothing quite like being fucked so full in a matter of seconds, and he was shocked at how perfect it felt when Nigel finally slid inside him.

Impaled as he was on Nigel’s cock, Aiden wasn’t sure he could move away or get into a more comfortable position – already he was feeling the strain on his arms and shoulders as he tried to support himself, but his body quickly folded beneath Nigel’s weight, the man practically flattening him against the mattress.

It seemed like Nigel had fully fallen into his rut at last. Aiden felt it in how Nigel handled him, how the man seemed to fall into his instincts helplessly, the jerk of Nigel’s hips against him erratic in its movement.

“Oh God,” Aiden groaned, closing his eyes and letting his own instincts take over. He was thankfully well-prepared for Nigel’s rut, his body accepting and open to Nigel that he barely felt any pain at all at the sudden intrusion. It was only the beginning of Nigel’s rut, though, so he kept a wary mindset even as his body melted into the thrusts.

Minutes passed by and all Aiden could think about was how perfect it felt to be enveloped in Nigel’s heated warmth, the man practically plastered onto his back while he mouthed on Aiden’s throat. It felt intimate, as it always did whenever they do this, but there’s an additional layer to it when he could feel the way his blood sang for Nigel to take him in this way. Nigel laced their hands together as his hips continued to piston in and out of Aiden, and he couldn’t help the way his hips instinctively push back to take Nigel in deeper, the punishing pace so perfect that his toes curled with pleasure.

He could feel Nigel’s cock gradually inflating inside of him, hitting his prostate in all the best ways, and he curled his fingers tighter in Nigel’s hands, both of them moaning at the feeling. “Nigel,” he whispered in between thrusts. “So good.”

Nigel’s rumbling purr against him sent him into a shiver of need, both of their arousal peaking slowly but surely. Aiden let out a cry when he felt Nigel’s fangs biting into the meat of his throat, the mating scar opened once more as Nigel came inside him, his knot expanding inside Aiden to ensure that not one drop of his seed was wasted, even though Aiden’s body couldn’t conceive in any way.

He was still hard and aching, and it seemed that Nigel was cognizant enough to recognize his whine of need for what it was. Nigel’s hand immediately grasped his cock in hand, stroking and squeezing him almost painfully. It took only a few tugs for Aiden to spill into Nigel’s hand, his climax triggering another orgasm from Nigel when his hole unconsciously clenched on the other man’s knot. Tired from the chase and the mating, his adrenaline finally went out of him and he collapsed onto the bed fully, his hips twitching from the feel of Nigel filling him up.

Nigel’s hand had moved from Aiden’s softening cock to his belly in the meantime, gently stroking him while Nigel purred, satisfaction evident in his actions.

Aiden sighed in relief when Nigel seemed to be satiated for the moment, though his weight on top of Aiden felt a bit stifling after a few minutes, both of their skin sticky with sweat and come. He closed his eyes as his breathing evened out, letting Nigel lick the wound on his throat. Not for the first time, he wished he could return the favor and bite Nigel back or even purr for Nigel.

It was still early in the morning, and Aiden let himself drift into sleep with Nigel still tied to him.

When he woke up next, he was still laying face-down on the bed, and it was already sometime in the morning or even in the afternoon, a sliver of the sun shining through the gap in between the black-out curtains in their bedroom. Aiden wasn’t sure what time it was, but it was probably only hours later.

Nigel was still on top of him, though he seemed to have woken up earlier than Aiden did, judging by the way he was currently driving his cock inside Aiden, the movement gentler than it was previously. Aiden’s legs were pinned by Nigel’s, but it was obvious that Nigel wasn’t really keeping him caged. There was no reason for Aiden to move away, so he slowly blinked his eyes open and let himself enjoy the way Nigel was taking him in slow, loving thrusts while he licked and bit into the expanse of Aiden’s skin wherever he could.

He still felt sore from their first coupling, but there was really nothing for it now that he was committed to see Nigel through it. He focused on the feeling of Nigel filling him so deep inside, humming his approval when the other man finally came inside him. Aiden was still half-hard, though he was still too tired to really chase his own pleasure, so he waited for Nigel to finish what he started, his eyes trying to find the clock hanging on their bedroom wall to see what time it was.

When he finally found it, he was surprised to find that it was almost eleven in the morning, and he wondered if Nigel had done anything else other than stay close to Aiden. Judging by the way how sore he felt, he also wondered if Nigel had been fucking him the entire time while he was still asleep.

Nigel seemed fully sated for a while as he resettled both of them on their side, Aiden finally feeling his body returning to life. He was sticky with the remnants of their sweat and come, and he thought it was high time for them to find some sustenance so that they could keep their energy up for the rest of the day. When Nigel’s cock finally deflated and slipped out of him, he turned slightly towards the other man only to find that Nigel was tracking his every move.

Slowly, Aiden moved to an upright position, wincing when his body complained against his own movement. “You up for breakfast?” Aiden managed to rasp out, his voice hoarse. “Or brunch, I guess.”

Nigel didn’t answer, though he didn’t protest when Aiden slowly moved out of bed and winced at the trickle of come leaking out of him, leaving his thighs wet with it. “I’m gonna go clean up for a bit, and then we should have some food.”

Aiden stared at Nigel to make sure that he was understood even though he didn’t get a response other than a small nod. When he made his way to the bathroom, he sensed Nigel following him like an overgrown lost puppy, silent and stoic behind him. Huffing with amusement, Aiden grinned at Nigel and pulled the man into the shower with him, shaking his head.

“You’re kinda cute when you’re like this,” he muttered affectionately, turning the faucet for the shower on and drenching them both with the water raining down on them.

Thankfully, shower and breakfast passed by without much incident, with Nigel shadowing him silently most of the time and standing nearby. They ate a simple sandwich and lots of fruits in the kitchen standing up since Nigel seemed to prefer to be as close to Aiden as possible, plastering his body against Aiden’s while they eat. Aiden had to resort to hand-feeding some of the fruits and small pieces of their strips of meat to Nigel since the man seemed more intent on hovering close to Aiden than participating in whatever it was that they were supposed to be doing to ensure they’re healthy throughout the rut.

Once they were done with their simple meal, Aiden brought more fruits and their prepped lunch to the bedroom while Nigel helped him by carrying a few bottles of water to keep them hydrated. Nigel seemed surprisingly docile, following Aiden’s instructions while they put away the food and water nearby so it was easier to grab whenever they’re out of bed.

After that, with both of them clean and their hunger sated, it was only a matter of time before Nigel’s need reasserted itself and Aiden found himself being taken on his back this time around, the slide of Nigel’s cock inside him so easy and smooth that Aiden just laid back and take whatever Nigel was giving him with his hands looped around the other man’s shoulders.

He was going to be so chaffed by the end of this, Aiden thought warily, even with the special heavy-grade lubricant Dr. Andrei had supplied him with. But it didn’t matter, not right now anyway, not when he could focus on the building pleasure inside him and making sure Nigel got what he needed from their mating instead.

There was something incredibly intimate in being able to give Nigel this. He wasn’t a werewolf, and even as a human he wouldn’t be able to conceive for Nigel, but there was no indication from the other man that that was needed when they were mated, and it was enough to know that Nigel was content with that.

Aiden need only be himself, and all he needed to do at this moment was to be a willing participant in this one thing Nigel wanted from him.

When Nigel came with a grunt of pleasure and knotted him again, there was a sense of completeness just for a moment, and Aiden reveled in it.

Two days passed that way, Nigel taking Aiden whenever the need struck him, and Aiden could never predict when these particular moods would hit the other man before he found himself being full of Nigel again. There were times when Nigel was rough with him, but there were also times when Nigel was gentle and loving with him, showering Aiden with his purrs and soft kisses whenever he felt particularly pleased. He didn't seem to be completely lucid, though Aiden could tell that there was some human left in Nigel’s rutting behavior since Nigel would listen to him and follow his cues whenever it was time for their meal or a bath.

His body was thoroughly exhausted when the third day came, but he only let a perfunctory protest out before he let himself be manhandled for Nigel’s use again, Nigel’s hands warm and strong as he manipulated Aiden’s body to his liking. It was unfair how incredibly hot Aiden found that, though he was also hoping for a reprieve.

Both of them were silent as Nigel drove into him in a rough thrust – it seemed that Nigel was in a particularly vicious mood this morning as he took what he wanted from Aiden, though he was always careful of Aiden’s boundaries even in his violence. Nigel was always watching him for his silent (or sometimes not so silent cues), fucking him into incoherent stutters when Aiden moaned with pleasure and stopping to pause and soothe Aiden’s distress whenever he heard a pained grunt or cry slipping out of Aiden’s mouth.

Aiden was terrified over what to do with Nigel’s rut previously, but it seemed as if he needn’t have worried. Nigel’s purrs of pleasure and encouragement were all that he needed to hear to know that the other man was well and fully satisfied with their sex marathon (and wasn’t that a thought).

When Nigel came and knotted inside Aiden again, he thought it must’ve been the hundredth time he had been knotted. It sure felt like it, anyway. His body was so open after three days of Nigel’s rut; he could accommodate Nigel’s knot so easily, some of the come leaking out between his legs with how much Nigel had filled him. He must’ve presented a debauched picture by now, fucked and knotted so many times though he couldn’t help begging for it still when it felt particularly good.

Aiden dozed off after that; he didn’t even come, his body too tired for it. Once Nigel’s knot deflated and the man pulled out of him, he sighed at the thought of cleaning himself up thoroughly again; the enema he had had to endure for the past three days were supremely unsexy, but he had to do it so many times that it was just another perfunctory action in his routine now.

He was surprised to hear Nigel calling his name a few minutes later, his voice rough with pleasure and exhaustion. “Aiden,” Nigel purred again. “How do you feel?”

“Like I’m going to pass out,” Aiden sighed, though he managed to turn his head slightly to give Nigel a tired smile. “Is it over?”

Stretching himself like a feline, Nigel hummed in clear satisfaction before he plastered himself against Aiden again, his purr rumbling through his chest. Aiden shivered at the feel of Nigel’s chest hair against his back and the pleasant sensation of Nigel purring.

“It’s done,” Nigel confirmed, mouthing at the crusted blood on Aiden’s mating bite, the wound bitten so many times that he was surprised his neck _didn’t_ get torn off in the heat of the moment. “I think we should call the doctor in to dress your wounds, darling. You look wrecked.”

Aiden rolled his eyes at the obvious pleasure in Nigel’s tone at the observation. No doubt the man was proud to put so many marks outside and inside of Aiden throughout their three days’ mating period.

“I wonder why,” he muttered dryly. “Can it wait? I feel like I need a nap until the next century.”

Nigel hummed again, licking at the wound. “Sleep now, gorgeous. I’ll take care of you now. I’ll get us our meals for when you wake up and you can have a bath after we eat something. Then I need to call Andrei.”

Sighing, Aiden nodded in agreement. “That’d be great. Sleep with me?”

He heard a chuckle before the darkness took him, the sound fond and amused. “Always, darling.”

Being assessed and inspected by Dr. Andrei was never high on the top of Aiden’s list of things-he-liked-to-do, even if the doctor was professional and clinical enough for him to ignore the probing stare as he made noises at some of the bruises on Aiden’s body.

“What did you do with his throat, _idiotule_ , this is going to take days to heal,” Dr. Andrei was grumbling at Nigel as he worked on bandaging the wound on Aiden’s neck.

In this case, when the ire was directed at Nigel, it was easier for Aiden to smirk internally though he put up a meek exterior for the doctor’s benefit. He was sure Nigel could tell how amused he was, and it took him all of his restraint not to stick his tongue out to the other man.

Nigel seemed properly chastened, as he always was when he found himself in Dr. Andrei’s presence. Darko was nearby as usual because ribbing Nigel was his pastime hobby, and he nodded in mock solemnity at the doctor’s words before he grinned at Nigel when the doctor turned his back to them. Nigel responded, as usual, with a threatening glare.

“Any other pain I should know about?” Dr. Andrei asked Aiden next, once the major wounds had been taken care of.

Aiden hesitated, his glance darting from Nigel to Darko to the doctor again, and it was clear that the doctor noticed by the way he raised his eyebrows at him.

“Speak up now or forever hold your peace,” Dr. Andrei said dryly, beginning to pack some of his items back into his medical kit bag.

Aiden sighed, squirming in place and trying to ignore Nigel’s questioning gaze and Darko’s more amused one. He motioned for the doctor to lean closer to him on the bed, thankful when the doctor obliged with a small sigh. He could feel his own face burning when he finished asking his question, Dr. Andrei pulling away with an amused smile on his face.

“Well, I’ll be giving you some ointment for the area, we made it especially for rutting couples, works like a charm,” Dr. Andrei replied to the question. “Though I’d say you shouldn’t be having sex for at least three days or even a week for you to heal completely.”

Aiden buried his face in his hands in embarrassment while Darko guffawed at the answer, though he heard Darko’s huff of pain a few seconds later which must have meant Nigel had punched him for the laugh.

“Rough three nights, huh, you two?” Darko asked, laughing slightly even if he sounded breathless. Aiden noticed that he had gotten up from where he was sitting next to Nigel, probably to avoid getting punched by Nigel again.

Aiden threw a tired glare at the man and leaned back against the pillows. “Bet you haven’t had those kinds of nights in a while,” he shot back.

Nigel burst with laughter, his eyes twinkling with adoration as he winked at Aiden.

Darko only grinned in response, shrugging nonchalantly. “The whole happily ever after thing’s just not for me.”

“Right, it’s not because you’re an asshole or anything,” Nigel said, smirking at Darko’s death glare.

“ _You’re_ an asshole, and yet here we are,” Darko sniped. “Dunno what you see in this guy, Aiden.”

Aiden shrugged. “He’s good in bed.”

Nigel looked as if he should be affronted, though he managed to look as if he was flattered by it all the same. It was an impressive expression to pull off. “Well,” Nigel drawled. “Best let you heal for a few days before I can thank you for that compliment.”

“Hey, he’s basically saying you’re an asshole but you’re a good shag,” Darko said flippantly. “I wouldn’t be too proud of it if I were you.”

“Well, no one asked _you,_ did they?”

“I’m just saying it like it is, seriously don’t know what people see in you with your weird fashion sense.”

“My fashion sense? Of all the things—”

“Look, the shirt with the dogs on it is not cute on a grown-ass man, I’m just saying—”

“Oh sorry I don’t wear fucking _suits_ all day like a pretentious dickwad I know—”

Dr. Andrei just shook his head in a resigned manner, closing his bag in a snap. He offered a hand out to Aiden, offering him a small tube of ointment for him to use. “Make sure he doesn’t touch you for a few days, not there at least, or I will come and smack him,” he said, smiling a little at the huff Aiden gave.

“Yeah, I’ll make sure of it,” Aiden said. He took the ointment with a nod of thanks, both of them ignoring Nigel and Darko who were still bickering like they always do like it was an Olympic sport that was worth winning. “Thanks, doctor. For, um, everything you did for me.”

“No problem, kid,” Dr. Andrei replied, smiling more genuinely. “You remind me of my grandson, though he’s younger than you. Glad Nigel took you in; you were in bad shape when you came in.”

“Oh,” Aiden said, awkward and a bit discomfited at the reminder. “Yeah. I… didn’t think life was going to turn out the way it did.”

The doctor shrugged. “Best thing you can do is to take one step at a time. On that note, I better step out. Lots more to do today. Darko!” he barked out. “Come, I need a ride to the Gandillon’s.”

Aiden’s brow rose at that, surprised. “You’re going to see Vivian and Astrid?”

“Among others,” Dr. Andrei confirmed.

“The doctor is one of the best werewolf docs around,” Darko said, smirking as he took out his car keys. “Every pack wants his medical advice ‘cos he’s the only few around anyway.”

“Yeah, yeah, let’s go, we need to leave soon before traffic gets heavier,” Dr. Andrei grumbled, already shuffling his way to the door. He turned to Nigel and Aiden, quirking an eyebrow at them. “I meant what I said. You two better not do anything too strenuous or I will shave off Nigel’s eyebrow and your hair, Aiden. I expect better from you.”

“What did my eyebrow do to you?” Nigel asked, offended.

Aiden laughed at the way Nigel was touching his eyebrow as if protecting it from the doctor’s glare. “I promise doc, I’ll make him sleep on a couch if he misbehaves.”

Nigel smirked, his brow rising in challenge. “Hmmm, we’ll see about that. He did say nothing strenuous. I could think of less strenuous things we could do.”

“Let’s just go doc, they’re just going to flirt until eternity and I can’t hear it anymore,” Darko lamented, sighing. “See you later, Aiden. And don’t fuck things up, Nigel!”

“Shut up, Darko, no one needs your opinion!” Nigel shouted at Darko’s retreating back, the other man flipping him off as he escorted Dr. Andrei out of the house.

The front door to their apartment finally slammed close, and Aiden chuckled when Nigel predictably gravitated towards him and made his way to bed. He made room for Nigel, automatically sliding himself closer to the other man to rest his head in the crook of the man’s shoulders, inhaling deeply in contentment.

“Feeling better?” Nigel asked, all of his cockiness and teasing mood gone now that Darko and the doctor were out of the house.

“Yeah,” Aiden murmured, yawning. “Feel like I could use more sleep, though.”

“Go on and sleep then, darling. I’ll wake you up when it’s time for lunch.”

“Hmmm, stay with me?”

“Of course.”

They savored the moment of silence that descended over them, Nigel’s hands petting Aiden’s curls in soft, slow strokes. It was a nice feeling and it almost lulled him to sleep, though he did make himself speak right then.

“Thanks for taking care of me,” Aiden said softly, his eyes closed in relaxation.

“Should thank you for doing that for my rut,” Nigel murmured, drawing himself closer to Aiden to entangle their bodies closer together. “Haven’t felt so satisfied in years, gorgeous.”

“Best you ever had, huh?” Aiden asked, grinning.

“Of course,” Nigel said, completely unabashed.

Aiden sobered at that, though he was still smiling at the admission. “Glad I could help,” he murmured, his eyes resting on Nigel’s softened features.

Maybe he was imagining things, but there was something thrumming low in his vein, just under his skin. He was completely preoccupied with his external senses while Nigel was going through his rut, so there wasn’t much time to consider the quieter moments. Now that he was lying in bed with Nigel, with nothing on the agenda other than to bask in each other’s warmth, he could finally entertain the thought that perhaps he did feel their bond together in some abstract way. Something pulled him to Nigel initially, the man an enigmatic and charismatic presence despite the uncouth exterior he displayed to the world. That pull felt stronger now, something in him yearning for more of Nigel’s touches. He wondered if Nigel felt the same.

“Stay with me,” he murmured. “Promise me you’ll stay with me.”

“Always.”

“You better be here when I wake up again,” he mumbled, feeling himself being pulled down into another exhausted sleep.

Nigel’s chuckle rumbled against him. “Wouldn’t dream of leaving you all alone, darling. Go to sleep. I intend to be here for the rest of our lives, ‘till death do us fucking part. So get all the rest you can get, darling, you’re gonna need it.”

The possessive words comforted Aiden, his entire being soothed by the feeling of Nigel enveloping him in his own brand of cruel love, and he shifted his body closer to Nigel before he let himself fall asleep inside the arms of his mate, calm and happy to let himself be caught in it.


End file.
